janet shanlian is there and has been covering it for us. janet, good evening. >> reporter: firefighters are making some progress out here, but the winds are picking up once again and that is a problem. today fire teams became much more aggressive about setting preventative fires around the rim of the lab. that is deliberately burning trees and brush in order to rob the wildfires of their fuel. they're also tackling this from the air, helicopters are dropping water and the epa has supplied a radiation detecting plane. they've also tested the air here from the ground and so far the results indicate nothing is coming from the lab. the lab is still closed, the town is still closed. and today the fire chief doug tucker told me that while he's shooting for saturday or sunday, it seems very likely that they will not lift that mandatory evacuation order until after the holiday weekend. and as long as this community is closed, it seems likely the lab will remain closed as well. brian? >> a very dicey situation. janet, great work out there again toda

janet shanlian is there to start us off tonight. janet, good evening. >> reporter: this situation has become much more serious just within the last few hours, within striking distance of this town and the wind has picked up considerably. earlier cars were bumper to bumper trying to get out of here and the evacuations have now become mandatory for everyone. the fast moving fire swelled overnight into 63 square miles and threatening structures. late today a mandatory evacuation was ordered and traffic was bumper to bumper as people tried to get out of town. los alamos laboratory is shut down. all radioactive materials are protected and secure from the wildfires for now. >> i will not say it is not going to go in the lab. we're doing our best to keep it off the laboratory floor. >> reporter: but a worst-case scenario loomed in the mind of residents scrambling to evacuate. >> it will make you nervous with all this nuclear stuff around. >> it's a little close for comfort. >> reporter: los alamos is home to the manhattan project, where sq

49 with new details on the bizarre plot to rob and kidnap or even murder pop star joss our janet shanlianile she says she's absolutely fine, she's said to be distraught over this especially by what was found in the suspect's car. among other items, a body bag. she's a grammy award winner who sold more than 11 million albums and found as much fame in the u.s. as she has at home. but when joss stone isn't in the spotlight she spends much of her time on a large estate in southwest england, a quiet existence that was shattered this week when police foiled a plot to reportedly rob and murder the 24-year-old singer. after neighbors reported a suspicious car near her home authorities arrested two men. inside the vehicle the apparent tools of a crime -- a sword, a rope and a body bag. >> when you hear that somebody who hasn't been in the public eye for a long time has been targeted by two men who wanted to harm her, rob her in a very elaborate way almost sounds like the plot of a hollywood film. you start being cynical and wondering if the publicists have put it together but once the police step