matt gutman, abc news, latches. -los angeles. >> it costas upyardwards of $15 to turn around like t partying than prepping. >> we have hacks that will make diane jealous. >>> and later the prince and his pal, the former president. we'll hear harry's response when he's asked whether he's inviting the obamas to his wedding. you're watching world nows now. i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. ltry align probiotic.n your digestive system? for a non-stop, sweet treat goodness, hold on to your tiara kind of day. get 24/7 digestive support, with align. the #1 doctor recommended probiotic brand. also in kids chewables. ♪ >>> all right, so the big night is almost here, but there's still time to plan a new year's eve party that you'll hopefully remember. our chief entertaining officer is here with his latest ideas. based on some of the alcohol i see here, i don't know that you'll necessarily rem

>> matt gutman for us tonight. matt, thank you. >>> next, to a tucson man under arrest, accused of pulling over drivers while impersonating a police officer. the suspect even recorded dash cam video of the drivers he pulled over. tonight, investigators are looking for other victims as they hunt for his motive. here's abc's marcus moore. >> reporter: this dashcam video released by tucson police looks and sounds like a real traffic stop. >> what are you guys doing here? no drugs or anything in the vehicle? >> reporter: but police say the man you see and hear on this video is no cop. >> just watching the video on this one, he's doing a lot of stuff that we do, which makes you think he's been watching what police do. >> reporter: in this video recorded last week, you can see him putting a driver in handcuffs, but police say the suspect couldn't find the key, telling the victim they'd have to go to police headquarters to get them removed. that's when they called 911. police later arresting the suspect. finding a white, u

>> matt gutman leading us off tonight here in southern california. matt, thank you. i wanted to give everyone at home an idea of what these fires look like from the air tonight. we're joined right now by j.t. kabc. j.t., i know the flames are burning as we speak. the fires are stick out of control. >> reporter: a very massive fire, this fire, the thomas fire. let's take you odds right now and show you those flames. this is in the canyon on the northeast flank of this fire. we're going to pull out to try to give you a little bit perspective just how large this 96,000 acre fire is. that's 150 square miles that's only 5% contained. that is a look from us on the northeast flank. looking back to your area, which is about 25 miles away. we're going to fade in our satellite technology from sky map 7 to give you an idea what this area looks like, we're going to right through ojai. the pacific ocean in the background. that gives you an idea how vast and how far this fire is burning. it is burning with the santa ana winds behind it. 25, 35, 45 miles an hour and greater out of

david. >> matt gutman our thanks to you. and you saw rob marciano there on the frontlines of the lilac fire. he's been tracking the santa ana winds for days now. let's get back to rob with the track into the weekend. good evening. >> reporter: still some gusty winds but looking for a break. the long term it's not good. take a look. the pesky high in control across the inner mountain west. no rain in the forecast and red flag warnings with low levels of humidity. a break with the wind tonight into tomorrow morning but sunday morning we'll see the wands crank up again. this is obviously not ab ideal weather situation. >> rob, thank you. >>> in the south and in the east tonight a massive winter storm on the move right now from texas all the way up through the northeast. more than 70 million americans will get hit with this tonight and into the weekend. snow falling on georgia highways. a 20-car pileup in san antonio. drivers warned about black ice. a fedex truck overturned in north carolina and crews deviivs planes. hundreds of

abc's matt gutman in california, leading us off. >> reporter: tonight, that new major wildfire crowning the famed hollywood hills with fire. >> this is really frightening. they're a lot of homes here. >> reporter: some of the most expensive properties in america. >> wow, look at this. >> reporter: the flaming engulfing interstate 405, one of america's busiest freeways, making for a hellish commute, and threatening the getty center and its priceless artwork. hundreds of firefighters on the ground and swarms of aircraft fighting the blazes. >> with this area, it's been years since anything has been burned at all. >> reporter: flames churning into neighborhoods. >> that house is completely engulfed in the smoke and the smoke coming out is noxious. it's like breathing in tear gas. now. it's dropping water right now so we might get wet. they're dumping everything they have on this fire. you could see it from the helicopters, you could see that hose over there right behind me. they're blasting away at this fire with whatever they can, trying to save these homes. firefighters overcome by the h

>> matt gutman tonight. matt, thanks to you. authorities bracing for the ones, as he just mentioned. let's get to rob marciano, also on the ground in california again this evening for us. rob? >> reporter: david, this area of l.a. county saw some of the highest wind gusts on monday night, burning down dozens of homes, injuring seven firefighters and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. and we expect a repeat wind performance tonight, unfortunately. here we go. round two of this santa ana wind event. more cold air pouring into the mountains, forcing that wind offshore. so, we've got red flag warnings, we've got high wind warnings up through friday, could see 30 to 40-mile-per-hour gusts in the city, which means that we'll see 70, maybe 80-mile-per-hour gusts in the mountains, and that is just impossible to fire fights against. and then dangerously low levels of humidity right through the weekend. but the next 24 hours, david, are certainly critical. >> they will be critical indeed. rob, our thanks to you, as well. >>> and the

matt gutman, abc news. >> just yichb credible scenes. and we just got new video from the ventura county fire department. and you can see the fire line along the mountain ridge. and then that bright flash, an explosion there. >> wow. you can see it down there on the lower hand part of the screen. >> and you can see how much smoke is in the air. this is a huge source of concern right now as well. hundreds of schools are closed this morning. a lot of concerns about the toxicity of the air. now we're seeing the fires continue to grow. an explosion of some sort and many homes in danger with all this. >> air quality is definitely bad in the area. we're continuing to watch that. and the situation is being fueled by as we call them the santa ana winds. and the fires will only get worse today because the winds are expected to gust up to 80 miles pe >> abc's rob marciano has more from sylmar, downtown los angeles on what fire crews are facing today. >> reporter: this portion saw some of the highest wind gusts when the fire burned dozens of homes.

matt gutman, los angeles. >> quite a mystery in california. >>> coming up in the next half hour.re putting on helmets and shoulder pads because tomorrow could be the busiest shoppin and if you've waited until now, don't worry. you have plenty of time. >> even i have to admit, that's not true anymore. but right after the break, the blockbuster netflix film starring will smith and a colorful cast of characters next on "world news now." amope pedi perfect with diamond crystals. removes rough, hard skin... effortlessly... for touchably smooth feet. the perfect gift... for that special someone on your list. ♪ uh, and ♪ here come the men in black ♪ men in black ♪ galaxy defenders >> i was going to go as men in black for the holidays. >> very original. were you going to wear the sunglasses? >> no. >> going all out. so will smith has a new movie that maybe you can dress up as next year. this might sound familiar. he plays the part of a crime fighting team with supernatural elements, bu "men in black", and tommy lee jones is sitting this one out. >> as in the bad guys

matt gutman, abc news, santa paula, california. >> the weather is not helping things.he santa ana winds with low humidity are fuelling those fires. and randomly changing their direction. >> and with no rain in the forecast, fire with the flames. rob marciano is following the progress. >> reporter: here, the creek fire, they've got a bit of a handle on this one, with 20% containment and no additional growth. even evacuation orders being lifted. but for some of those people coming back to what has been burned is going to be heartbreaking. over a dozen homes destroyed in this area alone. tens of thousands of people have been under evacuation orders. meanwhile, this long duration, historically strong, santa athat wind event continues. red flag warnings have been extended now through sunday. >>> new overnight we've learned the names of the victims in the deadly shooting in new mexico. they've identified casey marquez and francisco fernandez. both were killed inside aztec high school. police officers had to sho stairs and found the suspected shooter dead. schools throughout

abc's matt gutman is on the ground getting a firsthand look at the unstoppable blaze. >> reporter: as six major wildfires continue to rage across southern california, scenes of horror played out from ventura to san diego. helicopters d s ferrying water flame retardant in an almost futile fight to contain these ferocious fires. you hear the snapping and crackling? >> there's not a whole lot we can do with this kind of activity. so we just get in a place to protect the structures and keep everybody to a safe distance and then we kind of come in after it's done and start putting stuff o a >> reporter: yesterday new fires exploding in san diego. abc's rob marciano was there on the ground. >> we came up on the lilac fire, this is the first property we saw, completely up in flames. some sort of structure next to a home just up the driveway. >> reporter: with santa an that winds gusting over 50 miles per hour, fueling those blazes. the trees next to it starting to light, embers being carried by this wind. you can see how spot fires can flare up. names tearing into neighborhoods forcing resid

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abc's matt gutman with the new details. >> reporter: the fbi is investigating how a pair of brothers with a single boarding pass got on flight 175 from los angeles to tokyo. the mistake only detected 2,000 miles into the flight when a head count revealed the extra passenger. you can see the flight's boomerang path and hooking right back to l.a.x. arriving just after 7:30. the flight sequestered a secure part of the they discovered brothers identical names allegedly used the same boarding pass, and one did have a legitimate ticket for o a ticket to tokyoalso, but with a partner airline, united. >> thank you so much for taking me on this awesome vacation babe. >> welcome to los angeles. >> reporter: one of the passengers on board, a very bemused supermodel chrissy teigen. she was traveling with her husband, john legend tweeting why did we all get punished for this one person's mistake? why not just land in tokyo and send the other person back? how is this the better idea you ask? we all have the same questions. the airline partially answering that question in a statement as part of the

matt gutman, abc news, los angeles. >> what a wonderful gift. >> what a great gift.i gave you a house for christmas? >> i would love for you to say that to me. >> not going to happen. >> i know it's a tiny house but it's beautiful and means the world to those people. >> merry christmas to them. >> that's what's making news in america. >> have a great day. >> good morning it is thursday, december 21, here's what we're following for you, breaking news overnight in australia, more than a dozen people have been hurt in what officials are calling an intentional crash in the center of busy melbourne. >>> valley forge casino is going to a new player what the new management has planned for the venue once they take over. >> let's get a

mother nature is going to do her thing. >> matt gutman with us. you have been learning they're going to take preemptive strikes in the next several hours to do fire lines several miles out? >> reporter: that's right david. because this fire has been so relentless firefighters no longer can hope to stop it at its source, so they're trying to cut lines as far as ten miles out and as the fire chief told you less than 24 hours ago firefighters like this could be here until christmas. david. >> matt, our thanks to you. you saw rob marciano on the frontlines of the lilac fire tracking the santa ana wind for days now. rob good evening. >> reporter: good evening david. still some gusty winds at the higher terrain but looking for a break. take a look. that pesky high in control across the inner mountain west. red flag warnings up with low levels of humidity. a break tonight with the wind into tomorrow but beginning sunday morning we'll see the winds crank up again. more warnings may be issued and this is not an ideal weather situation. >> rob, thank you. >

>> all right, matt gutman on the fires again tonight. and we'll stay on it. >>> there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this monday. the celebrity chef now facing allegations of sexual misconduct. stepping aside tonight. >>> also this evening, word of a fourth shooting on an american highway. the manhunt and the description now of the vehicle. >>> the tense standoff in houston. schools put on lockdown. >>> and the interstellar mystery tonight. astronomers tracking this new discovery. could it be proof of alien technology? a lot more news ahead. ♪ when you have a cold, stuff happens. ♪ { sneezing ] shut down cold symptoms fast [ coughing ] with maximum strength alka seltzer plus liquid gels. you are loved my doctor recommended i switch to miralax.on, stimulant laxatives make your body go by forcefully stimulating the nerves in your colon. miralax is different. it works with the water in your body to hydrate and soften. unblocking your system naturally. miralax. turns out things aren't always take guinea pigs.ey are. they're

>> matt gutman leading us off tonight here in the west, matt, thank you. >>> and moments ago, i spoke with j.t. alpaugh, a helicopter pilot from our team at ka b bc e in los angeles. here are the images right now. i know you are flying over the thomas fire, by far, the largest of these fires burning out of control. what are you seeing right now? >> reporter: well, david, we're about 25 miles east of your location, at the heel of the fire. we're nestled between the communities of philmora and santa paula. we're looking at a hillside on fire, a very large section. communities are very worried about the winds. the winds are picking up at this hour, gusting to 25 to 35 miles an hour. hoping that it won't get much stronger than that. firefighters are worried about the embers that will embed themselves in the smoke and go downwind in those communities, possibly setting off more spot fires. that's what they're scared about down here. right now, we are keeping a close eye on it as the winds pick up. >> yeah, just stunning images coming in right now from you, j.t. and i want to stick with thos

all right, let's get right out to matt gutman. matt, you mentioned the two brothers at the center of this mixup. what's their status, and are they to blame? >> reporter: well, they're certainly to blame, but the fbi, tom, hasn't yet decided whether or not to press charges. but also facing stiff questions will be the airline. namely, how did it allow a passenger with a duplicate boarding card to get onboard? and why wasn't an accurate head count made until after the flight was well under way? a.n.a. could face some significant fines, tom. >> all important questions still unanswered. all right, matt, thank you so much. >>> let's turn now to politics, and we head down to florida, where president trump paid a visit this afternoon to a west palm beach fire station. the president thanking firefighters, also touting his record, saying he signed, quote, more legislation than anybody. a claim widely challenged. and citing tax reform and the soaring stock market among his first-year accomplishments. earlier in the day, the president again v

and here's abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: tonight, investigators in mexico still trying to determine what caused this tour bus, carrying cruise passengers, to careen off the road in rural mexico. you can see the bus on its side pushed up against that thick vegetation. police tape is up and stretchers are there for the wounded. bystanders appearing to rush in to help the wounded, some of whom were may haved out on the two-lane roadway. others seeming to walk around dazed. the bus apparently went off the road on the way to the chacchoben ruins, about an hour away from where the ships docked on the yucatan peninsula, about four hours south of cancun. its believed at least seven americans are among the 18 people hospitalized. >> some of the officials from the u.s. embassy, perhaps our mission, are on their way there. >> reporter: the royal caribbean cruise line said that it was carrying 27 passengers from its ships, "celebrity equinox" and "serenade of the seas". in a statement, the company said, "we are doing all we can to help our guests." david, those crew ships originated in miami an

matt gutman reporting. exact number of homes destroyed may not be known for days. can only imagine what it's like for those who lost homes to see all they worked for burned to the ground as we saw here in the north bay fires. ventura. >> it's crazy, armageddon, like a movie set. >> reporter: levelled homes, charred furniture and people like sara stunned by the devastation. >> there's nothing left. >> reporter: remains from grandparents' 1960s home. she and her brother thifrging of its history. >> grew up here. they passed away, i purchased the home. >> reporter: raging thomas fire peeked along the hillside when people were sleeping. >> somebody outside with bullhorn saying evacuate, i went outside and neighbors out, people lined up in street trying to get out. grabbed a couple of things and then we left. >> reporter: didn't think would return to this once things calmed down. >> i think just seeing that it was our grandparents' home, they planted all these trees and lot of the furniture inside was theirs and memories. there's nothing left of them anymore. i think th

i want to go straight to matt gutman on the phone. matt, what do we know?ng numerous ambulances and personnel rushing to the scene. i 5 continues to be shut down. these images we see of this train car, one dangling over this bridge. the sheriff said they're rushing to the scene. there are many personnel there trying to attend to the wounded. there are casualties. in addition to that picture we see of that one car dangling over the overpass there are other cars that appear to be derailed. unclear where the injuries are or the significance of these casualties at this event. >> there were 75 people on the train. i want to go to david kerley. >> this is i 5 and the amtrak run that's north south between vancouver, seattle and portland. a lot of traffic in this area. it's unclear -- this is supposedly a new lock motive. i'm not sure if it's the inaugural trip. it's not clear whether this derailed by itself or it hit something. we've seen crashes in the past a train ran into a truck or a vehicle crossing there. too early to know what has happened with this amtrak

abc news reporter matt gutman has more. >> reporter: tonight the thomas fire north of los angeles has been roaring back to life chewing through 3,000 acres the past 24 hours, infernos spawning new evacuations in the town of fillmore. when you see this palm tree burn, what is incredible is the sheer size of those embers and that's how a fire like this jumps over firefighters' containment lines. the numbers as staggering as the flames. the fourth largest fire in california history scorching 400 square miles, nearly a thousand structures destroyed more than 90 people forced from their homes. and this fire deadly again. firefighter corey iverson killed in the line of duty. a go fund me page set up to raise money for the eight-year veteran's pregnant wife and young daughter. for the 8300 firefighters still on the front lines, there's no giving up. >> is the team pretty burnt out? >> no. that's what we train for. that's what we do. they come up here and help us, we go down there and help them. real simple. >> the winds are expected to pick up again this weekend. one reason firefighters expe

matt gutman, abc news, los angeles. >> i like the people that people call tv stations to report. like what do they want? >> you can understand why that would distract you. what a sight. someone tweeted to give better public notice. i ain't know if this was a rocket, alien, santa claus. >>> coming up, the major oscar buzz for "mud bound." >> keep it here. had this chest , but my medicine kept wearing off. (coughah! i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. i'm joy bauer, and as a nutritionist i know probiotics can often help. try digestive advantage. it is tougher than your stomach's harsh environment, so it surivies a hundred times better than the leading probiotic. get the digestive advantage. z2momz zi0z y2momy yi0y >>> we're back on tv here. we're back with the powerful new movie starring mary j. blige getting serious oscar buzz. >> "mud bound" tells the story of two families struggling. >> you use the back door. >> reporter: "mud bound" is a p

matt gutman, los angeles, california. >>> san francisco's aquatic park is closed to swimmers this weekender the second sea lion attack in 24 hours. the latest attack happened around 8:00 yesterday morning when a swimmer was bitten in the lower extremities. the water was full of swimmer s es at the time, who helped the injured swimmer ashore. on thursday a 56-year-old man says he tried to fend a sea lion off. >> he came at me from the right. and i blocked him like this. and his head slid down my arm and one tooth went into my forearm here. >> he says he was losing blood quickly when he managed to flag down a sailboat. he was rushed to zuckerberg san francisco general where doctors expect him to make a full recovery. >>> the mavericks' big wave surf competition is coming back to half moon bay. the world surf league is taking over after last year's event was scrapped because of financial problems. for the first time, the world's best female big wave surfers will be completing. abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow has the story. >> reporter: surfer bianca valenti, who has been surfing since sh

abc's matt gutman is back with that story. hey, matt. >> reporter: good morning dan.authorities investigating how the passenger got on the wrong plane traveling with the wrong airline. you can see the boomerang path returning eight hours later. the airline saying in the statement the cab and crew became aware one of the passengers boarded the incorrect flight and notified the pi low who per procedure turned the plane around. chrissy tiegen live tweeting asking many questions including why do we all get pun ued. why don't we land in tokyo and send the one person back. the airline is apologizing and investigating how this happened. it's unclear whether the passenger will face any criminal action in addition to the shame of adding 15 hours of travel for all those people. >> he won't get free tickets to a john legend concert any time soon. paula. >> we want to move to the bitter cold gripping the country. more snow expected to pound the east coast. alex perez back from a very frigid buffalo, new york. good morning, alex. >> reporter: the bitter cold is relentless. i can't

matt gutman, los angeles, california. >>> san francisco's aquatic park is closed to swimmers this weekendhe second sea lion attack in 24 hours. the latest attack happened around 8:00 yesterday morning when a swimmer was bitten in the lower extremities. the water was full of swimmers at the time, who helped the injured swimmer ashore. he is expected to be okay. this sea lion attack follows one on thursday when a 56-year-old man says he tried to fend a sea lion off. >> he came at me from the right. and i blocked him like this. and his head slid down my arm and one tooth went into my forearm here. >> he says he was losing blood quickly when he managed to flag down a sailboat. he was rushed to zuckerberg san francisco general where doctors expect him to make a full recovery. >>> happening today, a chance to trade your guns for cash with no questions asked. the san francisco police department is hosting a gun buyback event. it's working with the organization united playas. today's event is from 8:00 until noon at united playas headquarters on howard street. organizers say it will help make the