Out-of-control infernos that grow in size and at speeds we ve never seen before. warm weather, lower humidities, fuel moistures at historic lows all over the western united states. combine that with a little bit of lightning and you have a recipe for a big fire. reporter: 41 wildfires are raging across the west. fire s here, let s get them out. reporter: in montana alone ten blazes stretch resources thin. we re shorthanded because of the other fires in the area so we ve been playing hop-scotch. going from one problem to another. reporter: at the northern cheyenne reservation, 186,000 acres have burned as firefighters battle flames in 106-degree heat. in utah, the wood hollow fire destroyed the paines mountain home. i mean, it s just nothing left. nothing green. it s just burnt dirt. reporter: tonight, with heightened fire danger and the fourth of july, fireworks have been banned in several western states.
Chaos as a fugitive fido was able to stay one paw ahead of the law. i ll be here all week, bill, tip your bartenders. police hounded the dog as he ran along interstate 55 but they were no match for the fast-footed four-legger who even had time to stop for a sip of water. he was no match for the dog rescuer who caught up with him. he had a small cut but he s doing just fine. now for a look at national weather we turn to bill karins. he has the forecast. very impressed, you re doing pretty good in your barcalounger. did you get that? your barcalounger? yes, yeah, i did. happy fourth of july. you too. you going to see fireworks tonight? hopefully it s not going to rain. i know. most likely a lot of them will get in today. there will be some showers and storms that will ruin some people s parade but not many. the big story is the heat. we saw the story earlier in our show. look for the hottest location on the map. it s not typically where you would think it would be this mo
And we re going to begin this morning with that holiday heat. in seven states and the district of columbia, more than 1 million families are waking up to a fifth day without any power and air conditioning on this independence day. fireworks displays are being cancelled to let police and fire crews continue relief efforts in a region where the weather will only get hotter through the holiday. nbc s steve handelsman has more. reporter: it s miserable on margaret drive. in tacoma park, maryland. a tree that tore down wires friday has not been touched. some homes got power back, then lost it. and the pets are sweltering in lynn quarrel s home. first of all, i m definitely worried about my cats because, i mean, heat isn t good for any animal and a lot of them are suffering right now. i m more worried about myself. reporter: maggie sterner, blacked out since friday, got power from neighbors till theirs went off again. i feel outraged and totally