here's abc's ryan owens with an encore presentation for our series, "faith matters." ♪ >> reporter: lateday night at the pure country bar in paducah, kentucky, a fight breaks out. but this isn't your grandfather's bar fight. >> hurt like hell, but -- >> as soon as i tape you, let's pray. >> reporter: and some of these fighters give bible beaters -- >> father, we just thank you for the opportunity to go out tonight and to train and compete and -- >> reporter: -- a whole new meaning. >> as a brand new christian i was fighting all the way through bible college. i trained in the army on how to fight. this is just part of who i am. it's my dna. >> jab. one two. >> reporter: the leader of this unorthodox group of warriors is john renkin, an evangelical pastor and founder of extreme ministries. his church/gym is squeezed between the goodwill store and the beauty school in a clarksville, tennessee strip mall. at this church let's just say they don't quite believe in turning the other cheek. if jesus christ walked into a bar and saw you in a cage, bloody, with another guy also bloody, what in the

here's abc's ryan owens. >> ready? >> i'm ready. >> test, test. can you hear me?w what the game plan is and we can take off and go running. >> reporter: these two are ready for battle. >> we're ready. >> i'm taking off. >> reporter: annette is the general. >> no, not a good price. >> reporter: husband steve, her top lieutenant. >> you're going to lose your mind over this one. they've got stuff marked down to $1 or $1.50. >> okay, i'm coming. >> reporter: for this couple, recession is war. and their battlefield is the grocery store. >> just looking for markdowns. >> reporter: they have a small army to feed. a big family. america's cheapest family. >> we are black belts in the frugal realm. >> reporter: meet the economides. of scottsdale, arizona. yes, they have economy in their last name. we'll explain how these soldiers of savings manage to go to the grocery store just once a month in a moment. but we're getting ahead of ourselves. to understand the depths of this family's frugality, you have to dive into their freezer. >> two pounds of ham. seven brussel sprouts.

the very worst fire stretches 16 miles in the center of the state where tonight we turn to abc's ryan owens. ryan. >> reporter: one look at the sky behind me and you know this is a fierce firefight. one official called this fire a monster, and so far, it has swallowed up almost 500 homes. the pine trees that give this part of texas its distinct beauty are now the fuel that's destroying it. tens of thousands of acres scorched, hundreds of homes reduced to rubble. >> there's nothing left. >> reporter: this is not the homecoming from war dan hugo had in mind. this is what his dream home his car, his picnic table, look like now. >> i did a year in afghanistan and i just got home and here we are. >> reporter: this is the largest fire in texas and by no means the only one. crews responded to 63 new fires yesterday alone. including one that killed a 20-year-old mother and her 18-month-old daughter. for this drought-stricken state, tropical storm lee was a cruel tease. texas saw almost no rain, only gusty winds that sent flames leaping. >> i wanant to get all this woo and stuff away from the house.

abc's ryan owens has the story. >> oh my gosh. >> at first, even the people behind the camera don't realize there is a man trapped under that car. >> there is someone under the vehicle. >> seconds before a motorcyclist hit the car. his bike exploded in flames. the young rider pinned underneath. what the camera caught next would be impossible to believe if it weren't on tape. >> one, two, three, go. >> while those bow hiebd the camera root them on, a dozen good samaritans including the car's driver worked together to somehow lift the bmw. >> get out. somebody grab him. >> and dragged the injured man to safety. look again how close they get to the flames. and what of their strength? these are not just heroes. they are super heroes. that car weighs 3800 pounds. that's almost two tons. these construction workers provided some of the muscle. >> i wasn't concerned. >> tonight the man they saved, 21-year-old brandon wright is in the hospital. battered, bruised and beyond grateful. >> first and foremost his parents and siblings and everyone else are incredibly thankful for these angels who came to

abc's ryan owens has the story. >> oh my gosh. >> at first, even the people behind the camera don't realizes a man trapped under that car. >> there is someone under the vehicle. >> seconds before a motorcyclist hit the car. his bike exploded in flames. the young rider pinned underneath. what the camera caught next would be impossible to believe if it weren't on tape. >> one, two, three, go. >> while those bow hiebd the camera root them on, a dozen good samaritans including the car's driver worked together to somehow lift the bmw. >> get out. somebody grab him. >> and dragged the injured man to safety. look again how close they get to the flames. and what of their strength? these are not just heroes. they are super heroes. that car weighs 3800 pounds. that's almost two tons. these construction workers provided some of the muscle. >> i wasn't concerned. >> tonight the man they saved, 21-year-old brandon wright is in the hospital. battered, bruised and beyond grateful. >> first and foremost his parents and siblings and everyone else are incredibly thankful for these angels who came to his aide

and abc's ryan owens is in austin tonight. >> this is what's remaining of our house. >> reporter: mike stock gave us a heartbreaking home tour. have you found anything in all of this that can be salvaged? >> nothing. there's nothing at all. i mean, not even a brick can be salvaged. there's nothing in this house that's worth anything. >> reporter: mike and his wife, there's some of her clothes, along with their two young daughters, were out of town when this happened. >> oh, my gosh. somebody lost their house. >> reporter: a neighbor shot cell phone video as they fled. mike is one of the few who has been allowed to come home. there are literally thousands of texans wondering if their homes might look like this. and their tempers are flaring as hot as the flames. >> we were homeowners and now we're not. we don't know. they could at least let us know. >> reporter: responding to those complaints, authorities posted lists of hundreds of homes that have burned here. ominous clouds of smoke at sunrise were replaced by a haze as firefighters made good progress against the flames. by the end of

ryan owens, abc news, pasadena, california. >>> and coming up, $400 to check a bag at the airport? sky high fees. accept it. you can't change the way banking works. just accept it, man. free ? doesn't close at five ? try nature. it's a bank. what do you want, a hug ? just accept it. hidden fees, fine print, or they'll stick it to you some other way. stay with the herd, son. accept it. just accept it. accept it. just accept it. accept it. if we miss this movie, you're dead. if you're stuck accepting banking nonsense, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. they want to see before they die. they don't fill photo albums with pictures from an online search. it's okay. the internet will be just fine without you. that's why we built the dodge journey. it has everything you need to get out there. somewhere. anywhere. think of it as a search engine for the world wide world. ♪ [ slap! slap! slap! slap! slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum tum tum tum

ryan owens, abc news. >> we are grateful to them and to you for watching tonight.s have the latt abcnews.com. i will see you on the two-hour special tonight, jacqueli "jacq kennedy: in her ownorlds," at 9:00 eastern. until then, good night.rl >>> how many marijuana clubs does the bay area biggest city need? who should sell it? where should it be grown? >> there is an education revolt aich high school could become the first to break away from its district. >> and from oakland international airport, dozens of jobs are at stake. why they can be lost without an act of congress soon. >> three bills designed to help homeowners have been defeated in sacramento. ahead on 7 on your side, the reasons why. >> it's happening the south bay. you're looking live in a sand bank bunker set up by the bomb squad. police found what they think are explosives in a house near downtown. >> officers discovered

as ryan owen tells us, it seems to prove that a few seconds can make a huge difference. >> reporter:rth shakes, a few seconds of warning could mean the difference between life and death. >> strong shaking expected in eight seconds. >> elizabeth cochran is one of the few dozen people in the united states who actually gets a warning. [ siren ] >> reporter: she's part of a team of 30 seismologists testing an earthquake warning system that might soon tell californians there's trouble on the way. >> this is telling you there is an earthquake going on. otherwise you may be wondering well, is this an earthquake? should i do something? >> reporter: you know it's the real deal. a few sthaekds could give people to jump under their desks, a heads up for trains to slow down and make elevators stop at the nearest floor so people aren't trapped. right now, only japan has a sophisticated system. credited with saving countless lives in the massive quake that triggered the tsunami earlier this year. >> reporter: if washington, d.c. had the earthquakes that japan has, we wow this system a long -- we'd

ryan owens, abc news, dallas. >> i can't believe it bit the little boy's finger.>> see the teeth on that thing. you kidding me? what would happen if you want out there fishing, tanya, what would you do if you caught something like that? >> it's nemo, that's no piranha. >> the hat on. you look very much at peace out there. >> i like nemo. warm, cuddly. >> more from abc coming up next. >>> this morning on "world news now" -- will he run? >>> this morning on "world news now" -- will he run? pressure is mounting on new jersey governor chris christie to rescue the troubled republican party. >> from last night's high-profile address to a nationwide fundraising tour, he is starting to look a lot like a presidential candidate. it's wednesday, september 28th. >>> good morning, everyone, i'm tanya rivero. >> i'm rob nelson. governor christie appeared last night at ronald reagan presidential library for a gop address. while we're getting some hints, we are not getting a definitive answer from christie about his intentions for the presidential race. still very much the big po

ryan owens has the story of burning car. trapped biker.ystanders who came together in an extraordinary act of bravery. >> oh, my gosh. >> oh, my gosh. >> at first even the people behind the camera don't realize there is a man trapped under that car. >> someone under the have been. >>reporter: seconds before a motorcyclist hit the car. his bike exploded in flames. the young rider pinned underneath. >> come on. >>reporter: what the camera caught next would be impossible to believe if it weren't on tape. >> everybody 1 to 3 go. >>reporter: those behind the camera root them on a dozen good samaritan including the car driver worked together to somehow lift the bmw. >> get out somebody grab him. >>reporter: and drag the injured man to safety. look again at how close they get to those flames p.what of the strength. these aren't just hero. they are super hero. that car weighs 3800 pounds. that's almost 2 tons. these construction workers provided some of the muscle. >> i wasn't really concerned about the risk i gets at the time. you don't think abo

here's ryan owen.rth shake as few seconds of warning could mean the difference between life and death. >> strong shaking expected in 8 seconds. >> elizabeth is one of the few dozen people in the united states who actually gets a warning. she's part of team of 30 seismologist testing an earthquake range system that might soon tell california ans there's trouble on the way. >> this is telling you that there is an earthquake going on otherwise you might sit in your chair and wonder well is this an earthquake how big is it going to be should i do anything. >> this bay you know it's the real thing. >> that's right. >>reporter: few seconds that 0give people time to jump under their desk. head up that could trigger trips to slow down so they don't derail and make el l vaitor stop at the nearest floor so people aren't trapped. rate now only japan has sophisticated warning system. credited with saving countless lives in the massive quake that triggered the tsunami earlier this year. >> if washington, d.c. had t

ryan owens, abc news. >> incredible, isn't it? >> kindness of strangers, indeed. wow. >>> later on "good morning america" today, we'll talk live to some of those construction workers who dropped their tools and ran to that man's rescue. >>> and that's what's making news in america this morning. have a great wednesday, everybody. >>> good morning, topping our news congressional hearing in washington this morning. members want executives from solyndra to tell us what happened to the half billion dollars they borrowed. there is one big problem. >> the bomb squad detonates a potentially several devices. >> and a setback in the hope of release of two u.c. berkeley graduates jailed in iran. they say they haven't decided whether to set bail for the two. >>> good morning. you are looking at clouds over san francisco. winds of change are back. a touch of fall, coolness in the forecast. i'll tell you how long it lasts. >> sue hall in the traffic center following wednesday morning commute. we have a stall already in castro valley and more coming up. >>> it's 4:31. mike, good

abc's ryan owens is there. good evening, ryan. >> reporter: good evening, george. this wildfire has turned parts of texas into an apocalyptic landscape. two dozen homes, including the one behind me, have been lost. and that ominous black smoke, a sign more may be lost. it was almost inevitable. one of texas' hottest and driest summers ever would end up like this. towering flames engulfing homes with almost no warning. >> i don't think i have my head around it yet. it's just unbelievable and i don't know. just can't believe it. >>>>eporter: even harder to believe, much of this area burned just a few months ago. 160 homes destroyed in april. >> it's not farfetched to say that we've burned haha of our county off, acreage wise. >> reporter: nearly every inch of texas is suffering through a historic drought, sparking massive blazes across the lone star state. authorities aren't sure what ignited this one, but they do know there is plenty of fufu to keep it going. >> happened so quickly and i was thinking, not again. >> reporter: while obviously the wind is gusting here

and abc's ryan owens is at the scene of a blaze that is traveling more than a mile every 24 hours. in bastrop, texas. >> reporter: nearly 400 firefighters are on the front lines tonight, dousing some flames and actually setting others. the hope is these small backfires will rob the blaze of the brush that's so dry, it this herely explodes. these firefighters have reported to battle from across the country. >> we're just trying to hold these houses, you know, the fire jumped all over the place, so we're doing a little firing to get it back on our terms. >> reporter: the fact the fire fight is now a ground fight is progress. for two days, the winds have been so high, the flames so unpredictable, firefighters couldn't get this close. the air war is still intense. as i saw more myself from our san antonio affiliate ksat's helicopter. it's fascinating to watch the aerial attack from this perspective high above the fire. it really is an aerial ballet. you have planes and helicopters from local agencies, from the state, from the federal government, all working together to try to put this

ryan owens, abc news, palo pinto county, texas. >> of course the fires aren't just in the north.exas is getting hit hard. oklahoma city getting hit hard as well. these are the worst fires in texas since the 1950s. decades since we've seen it quite this bad. good luck to those folks. >>> crews are battling destructive wildfires in oklahoma as well. hundreds of homes are threatened in oklahoma city by a fire that's already destroyed more than 20 homes. and the fire chief there says he's worried that the hot and windy weather could reignite those lingering hot spots. >>> and the number of people killed from irene now stands at 45. and the price tag on the trail of destruction has shot up into the billions, ranking among the nation's costliest natural disasters. >> meanwhile, the lingering floodwaters are still cutting off entire towns. abc's t.j. winick has more on this. good morning to you, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and tanya. the floodwaters from irene are still threatening many communities across the northeast. even isolating entire communities. for many vermonters, the

abc's ryan owens with the details. >> reporter: at first even the people behind the camera don't realizetrapped under that car. >> is someone under the vehicle? >> reporter: seconds before a motorcyclist hit the car, his bike exploded in flames, the young rider pinned underneath. >> come on. >> reporter: what the camera caught next would be impossible to believe if it weren't on tape. >> everybody. one, two, three, go. >> reporter: while those behind the camera root them on, a dozen good samaritans including the car's driver worked together to somehow lived the bmw. >> get out. somebody grab him. >> reporter: and drag the injured man to safety. look again at how close they get to those flames. and what of their strength? these aren't just heroes, they're super heroes. that car weighs 3,800 pounds. that is almost two tons. these construction workers provided some of the muscle. >> well i wasn't really concerned about the risk. at the time you don't think about the risk. >> reporter: the man they saved, 21-year-old brandon wrightis in the hospital, battered, bruised, and beyond grateful. >

and our ryan owens is right in the middle of that fire now. good morning, ryan. >> reporter: with flames leaping this close to homes, it doesn't take much convincing. >> headed towards the dam. >> reporter: pat kappes is among those scrambling to pack up. one day ago her home was safe. then, the winds shifted and so did her luck. >> i think about it yesterday. and it's like i felt sorry for everybody over there. now, here it comes over here again. >> reporter: nearly 40 of her neighbors have lost their homes in this upscale community. hundreds more have had to evacuate. something they did just four months ago. in april, fire destroyed 160 houses in this same area. >> it's not farfetched to say that we've burned half of our county off. >> repepter: it's not just his county. 99% of texas is suffering through a historic drought. and this was already the worst fire season in state history. before the blaze that forced pat capps and so many others from their homes. even though it's september, triple digits are in the forecast again today. but that's

for "good morning americic" ryan owens, abc news. >> and our thanks to ryan owens for that. >>> and joiningfrom salt lake city, lee christiansen, and albien mostivich, two of the construction workers who dropped their tools and rushed to the scratch scene to save a life. lee, let me begin with you. you are working close by. tell us what you saw and what you heard. >> well, we was on about the fourth floor on the outside of the building, putting in flames. you know, we heard -- it was a strange noise. it wasn't like an accident noise. it was kind of like a scratchy noise. we turned to look.. there was a small hole of the leafs of the tree, you c cld see the bike spinning around. it burst into flames. we decided we should go down and check it out. we come down on the lift. and ran over there. there's probably, i don't know, eight or nine people trying to lift the car. we helped lift the car. and i pulled brandon out. >> wow. and we just saw the video again, lee. you're the one in the green shirt and the hard hat. you're so close to the flames. were you all communicating with one another? or w

abc's ryan owens has her story. >> reporter: lindsay schutte is 5 years old. and already has a better fish story than any angler ten times her age. on her very first fishing trip to this lake south of houston, little lindsay reeled in a man eater. >> a fish i had never seen before. and took the hook out. and it was -- it was just weird because it had big teeth. >> reporter: this piranha sank its razor-sharp teeth into the piece of hot dog she used as bait. and then, into her brother jack's finger. >> right here. we called it naughty. >> we called it naughty. we did. >> reporter: state wildlife officials confirm it's the real deal. >> they said, no. that's not the normal type of fish that's here. >> reporter: the first piranha found in texas in 30 years. the meat-eaters are rare in the united states. they can't survive in water cooler than 50 degrees. authorities suspect this one was probably in someone's aquarium, got dumped into the lake, giving this 5-year-old the catch of a lifetime. for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, dallas. >> the story of

ryan owens the story of a burning car and trapped bike are and bystanders that came together in one ofed underneath. what the camera caught next would be impossible to believe if it weren't on tape. >> one two, three go. >> while they route them on a dozen good samaritans including the car's driver work together to somehow lift the bmw. they drag the injured man to safety. look again how close they get to those flames and what of their strength? that car weighs 3800 pounds. that almost two tons. these construction workers provided some of the muscle. the man they saved 2 sr8d brandon wright is in the hospital battered and bruised and beyond grateful. >> first and foremost parents and siblings and everyone else are incredibly thankful for these anxious jells who came to his had yesterday. watching the video it gives us chills. they are our heroes. they saved a life. >> a young man who owes his life quite literally to the kindness of strangers. >>> a gumbie in trouble with the law has turned himself in. he went to police yesterday and admitted he was the one behind this gumbie suit and t

abc's ryan owens is on the front lines in bastrop county, texas. and, ryan, firefighters really have their work cut out for them, don't they? >> reporter: good morning, robin. they really do. this should be a pivotal day for firefighters. it's much cooler today. there are no winds. all good news for those crews who may begin to get control, because, right now, they have none. even by texas standards, this wildfire is enormous. a wall of smoke and flames, 16 miles long, 4 miles wide. one official calls the blaze a monster. it's forced 5,000 people to evacuate and devoured nearly 500 homes. >> our house is completely gone. >> reporter: one of those belonged to dan hugo and his family. this veteran returned from war a month ago. this morning, this is what he had to come home to. >> i did a year in afghanistan. just got home. and here we are. >> reporter: his family spent most of labor day at this shelter, one of five now home to hundreds and their pets. everybody says it's the not knowing that's the worst part. can you talk about that a little bit? >>

abc's ryan owens is in bastrop county, texas, where firefighters are still trying to get a handle on all of this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, robin. firefighters are reporting significant progress this morning. containment of the fire in bastrop county, up to 30%. still, there was a setback yesterday. firefighters here made a gruesome sis dovrry. the toll of these devastating wildfirereis growing. not just in acres but in lives. we now know two victims were recovered from the charred ruins on tuesday, along with a mother and her 18-month-old baby who died when flames engulfed their mobile home over the weekend. 400 firefighters from around the country have descend on the largest fire, a monster blaze that has consumed 45-square miles. they have it surrounded but not contained. texas governor rick perry toured the damage from the air. 1,000 homes have been lost here in just the last few days. i got my own look, thanks to our abc affiliate in san antonio, ksat. you see the one home up in flames. it literally takes some of these, even large homes, just seconds almost

is bench player status recently owen showed this class again in a different style crossing my mind i did two up with the last from just in siberia in thirty seconds ryan giggs then added this would be so afeard still in the opening hole for three meals how it sounded up at elland road sending man united into the fourth stage. in the meantime chelsea whoever asked by united in sunday's league game taken full on later on when stage manager bush also planning to fill the younger lineup while the clash while complaining over the referees job that united defeat in the pros is very very unhappy with the performance from. which india and. in the result i don't think it's very very likely. because. it's. true first of all the two first schools. in new york. before of plays an important berth in europe. aligns with. europe. now every bell and there's a vote in tennis raffaella dollars an hour and other top players demanding the get back scary early in the has to change it sounds from becoming clear during the recent davis cup semifinals adult particularly vocal about having to play his cup tied for spain against france just days after the u.s. open final. well

his bench players status recently owen show dishcloths again in a different style putting money and i did two off with a loss from just inside the area in the second ryan giggs then out of the third would be so afeard still in the opening haul for three meals how it ended up at elland road sending man united into the fourth stage. in the meantime chelsea who has harassed by united in sunday's league game take on full on late on wednesday manager borsch also planning to fill the younger line up for the clash while complaining over the referee's job that united defeat in the process very very unhappy with the poor performance from from the referees. this is. the result i don't think it's very very likely. because it's. those two first goals and two first goals you know proper to new york. before of time plays an important part and you expect the linesman to do is as you're now a rebel in is a foot in tennis rafael nadal and tamara and other top players demanding the fact scandal. has to change the tension becoming clear during the recent davis cup semifinals adele particularly vocal about having to play his cup tie for spain against france just days afte

owen then grabbed his second goal in the 32nd minute with a superb right-foot strike from just inside the area. and continuing his consistent form, park then gave an assist to ryan giggs who made it 3-0 just before the break when he cut in from the left and slid one in with the outside of his left foot. meanwhile...in other cup action tuesday, korean striker park chu-young made his arsenal debut helping the gunners to a 3-1 win over shrewsbury in london. arsenal avoided a humiliating exit as the troubled gunners came from behind with goals from kieran gibbs, alex oxlade- chamberlain, and yossi benayoun. and over in japan...ko wrapping up with golf...australia's geoff ogilvy has secured the last automatic place in the international team for the presidents cup after finishing third at the bmw championship in chicago on monday. the 34-year-old ensured his attendance at the event which taking place at the royal melbourne golf club in november. australia's adam scott and jason day will also join the 2006 u.s. open champion in the international team which is being captained by greg norman. south korea will also be a promient presence on the team, as three golfers -- c