Residents of metro Atlanta woke up to downed trees and fallen power lines after the overnight waves of rain and thunderstorms. Over 3,000 people are currently without power.
it s tuesday, september 1st. this morning, fierce firefight across california. this is a very difficult firefight. this is a very angry fire. the massive blaze near los angeles, rages out of control, as a new fire brings new evacuations overnight. monster storm. a huge hurricane with sights set on a popular resort area. 20-foot waves are already coming ashore. a quiet debut for rod blagojevich s new book. but it s sending a loud message, blagojevich s new book. but it s sending a loud message, all the way to the white house. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and thanks for being with us. well, it will be another grueling day on the front lines of california s battle with fire. there are more than ten wildfires burning up and down the state right now. but none as big as the station fire near los angeles. as one official said, it is burning everywhere. photos show smoke, towering over the city. flames that leap 60 feet over firefighters. and the bleak, charred landscape left in the fire s path. here are some of the latest numbers from overnight. at least 53 homes have been destroyed. 164 square miles burned and growing. and despite the effort by thousands of firefighters, containment isn t expected for at least a week. it is burning in the dry, rugged mountains, just north of los angeles. this map shows the huge area in red, where the fire is. and the arrows show where it s going. into the desert to the north. and toward more suburbs to the west. john hendren has the latest on the fire. reporter: near los angeles, 2,500 firefighters battled a blaze the size of san francisco. on the ground and from the air, pounding the hills with water and flame retardants from helicopter tankers, dc-10s, and this tanker. it s going to be a fire of epic proportions. a lot of vegetation hasn t burned in well in excess 100 years. it will be a fire like we slnt seen in california. reporter: where the mountains descend outside of los angeles, firefighters set a controlled blaze, fighting fire with fire. the station fire has killed two fire foughters, consumed two dozen homes. and now threatens a hub of communication towers, that link to fire, law enforcement, even los angeles airport. three residents ignoring evacuation orders were seriously burned. when you hear from law enforcement, anything about evacuation, follow their orders. reporter: still, some remain behind. we have an 80-year-old mother that s pretty sick. we don t want to take her. reporter: the southern california fire was the largest. but the most destructive was in auburn, near sacramento. 60 homes and buildings gone. i was running. shaking to get my daughter. grabbed her from her sleep. reporter: amid the destruction, some welcome news. a local deputy, hailed as a hero, saved an elderly woman. i kicked the door in. and found her still standing there. and picked her up. carried her out. reporter: the southern california blaze, just 5% contained, has more than doubled in size since sunday. firefighters say it could take weeks to control. john hendren, abc news. and the massive fires are affecting more than just southern california. take a look at the smoke hangenihang eni ing over downtown las vegas. officials have issued an air quality alert through tomorrow. the smoke, with high ozone levels could make difficult breathing. along mexico s baja peninsula, thousands of fourths are racing from hurricane jimena. it s forecast to pass west of cabo sanlu cass today. here s viviana hurtado. reporter: in los cab boes, people are filling up gas tanks and stocking up on groceries. they re preparing for hurricane jimena, whose powerful winds and strong swells have expected to decimate this area. owners are rushing to save their vessels. this fisherman says, we re taking the boats out of the water as a preventive measure, in case the murk hits hard. it s the poorly built homes where the hurricane may have the most devastating impact. authorities are trying to evacuate families from flood zones and set up shelters. we re trying to think ahead and fill up the tank, this woman says, because the hurricane that s coming, which has us worried because they re saying it s a category 4. an international finance conference was moved to mexico series. dealing this area an economic blow before the hurricane hits. viviana hurtado, abc news. and abc news has crews in mexico and on the fire lines in southern california. we will have live updates coming up on good morning america. and still in california, back yard discovery linked to the kidnapping case of jaycee lee dugard. investigators combing the neighboring property to phillip garrido, has found a small bone fragment. it will be weeks before they know if it s from a human or an animal. the investigation of that property and the one where dugard was held for 18 years is over. garrido and his wife have pled not guilty to kidnapping charges. we re hearing from one of garrido s past victims for the first time. katie hall was kidnapped and raped by garrido in 1976. and she testified against him before he was sentenced to 50 years. but garrido was paroled just over a decade later. last night, hall described the storage unit where garrido assaulted her. it was like a maze. and in the warehouse where he had me, he had it set up to keep someone for a while. reporter: hall said she has a threatening run-in with a man resembling garrido. she left her lake tau hoe home because she knew garrido was hunting her. turning to afghanistan and whether the u.s. is winning. an assessment from the top general there says no. stanley mcchrystal says success is achievable. it will take on a new strategy, one where u.s. troops will be concentrated in cities and towns. that means less fighting the taliban and more defending the afghan people. mcchrystal hasn t requested more troops. but that s expected soon. at least 47 americans were killed in afghanistan last month, the highest total of the nearly 8-year war. the obama administration is reportedly conducting a major overhaul of the office of justice civil rights. attorney general eric holder is planning to pursue cases of discrimination in the workplace, housing and voting rights. the administration will boost funding for hiring. but that could take years, not months. space shuttle discovery and its special delivery to the international space station. a giant cylinder filled with eight tons of scientific equipment, including the treadmill named after comic stephen colbert. the container will be filled with trash for the trip home. you good now? not yet. now, for this morning s weather from around the nation. a chilly start then a sunny day. scattered showers and thunderstorms stretch from tennessee to the south. and all along the rockies to the great plains. mostly dry in the northwest. it will be pleasant the chicago, with a high of 74. 72 in boston. and 79 in atlanta. warmer in the south, with 88 in new orleans. 92 in miami. and 91 degrees in dallas. 108 degrees make phoenix the hot spot. anchorage is playing it cool with the high of 60. coming up, money news. a major bank is ready to start repaying its $45 billion loan. plus, roll up your sleeves. where to get flu shots, starting today. and a medical mystery. doctors don t know why a tennessee teen seems to be crying blood instead of tears. but not nearly as important as outer beauty. that s why i use covergirl s simply ageless makeup a department store brand can glob up in lines and wrinkles and actually make you look older. simply ageless stays suspended over lines and makes you look amazing. simply ageless from olay and easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. , and try new simply ageless sculpting blush to bring out your cheekbones. activia light!ht yogurt like no other./ delicious, fat free, and above all. the only one that ha bifidus regularis and is clinically roven to help regulate, your digestive system. ha bifidus regularis activia light. activiaaa! which beneful 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(guitar music) welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abc news. the largest of california s dozen or so wildfires continues to burn out of control. moving towards subdivisions and vital communication equipment. the blazes are sending smoke as far east as las vegas. parts of mexico s baja peninsula are being slammed by powerful hurricane jimena. winds are nearly 50 miles per hour and waves are nearly 20 feet high. damage in cabo sanlu cass can be extensive. and investigators have found a bone fragment on the property next to the one where jaycee lee dugard was kept for 18 years. in massachusetts, the process of finding a senate successor for the late ted kennedy is getting a lot of attention. the senator weighed in on the issue before his death. and it seems he may get his way. t.j. winick reports. reporter: most democrats and republicans agree that no one can fill ted kennedy s shoes. but someone will have to fill his senate seat that he held for more than 47 years. i m olding the special election. reporter: under current state law, a 145-day to 160-day period is required before a special election for the senate seat. so, a public hearing will be held a week from wednesday, to decide whether to change the succession law. i think that having a full complement, two voices in the united states senate, is about the best interest of the commonwealth. reporter: before he died, kennedy sent a letter to governor duval patrick and legislative leaders, allowing him to appoint a replacement. from the moment he got sick, he was not worried about himself. he was worried about how do i continue to do this job? reporter: and some republicans characterize the kennedy letter as a bit disinjen with us. after all, it was kennedy who suggested that the law change to a special election in 2004, when john kerry was running for president, and then-governor mitt romney, a republican, would be able to name a replacement. although governor patrick says it s too soon to name a replacement, but two names being floated are kennedy s widow, and michael dukakis. t.j. winick, abc news, washington. he has been indicted. impeached. now, he s on a book tour. former governor rod blagojevich s book, the governor, claims that president obama s chief of staff, rahm emanuel, was behind many of his problems. no comment from the white house. blagojevich says people urged him to appoint himself to fill barack obama s senate seat. but says it didn t feel right. there s a medical mystery in tennessee this morning, with a mother desperate for answers. without warning, this 15-year-old cries tears of blood. the teenager says it happens at least three times a day. and can last a few minutes to an hour. the first time, his mom called 911. now, despite extensive tests, there s no diagnosis and no treatment. i thought that coming up, like a tear. i felt my eyes watering. sometimes it will burn as it comes out. the scariest thing in my life, is when he looked at me and said, mom, am i going to die? that broke my heart. tammy says he s running out of hope and will take her son anywhere for treatment. to make matters worse, he gets teased at school by kids who say he s possessed. shock versus sweetness, could be the theme of a new ad campaign here in new york. health officials are worried that new yorkers are consuming too many sugary drinks. they will have a series of ads with graphic depictions of what sugar can do to you. the ads will appear in subway stations in the next few weeks. officials are urging people to replace sugary sodas with water, seltzer ouren sweetened tea. coming up, how to save time instead of sitting in traffic. and in sports, brett favre is used to taking hits. but last night, he gave one. in ancient china, soy was such an important food. that the emperor declared it sacred. in japan, buddhist monks believed eating soy. was healthier for the body and spirit. for thousands of years, cultures around the world. have eaten soy for its health benefits. which is why today, we take whole soybeans, in their natural state, and bake them with fruit into soyjoy. but those days came and went, and the cigarettes remained. but today s a new day. and a few simple steps can make a real difference in your next quit. things like starting with a plan to quit smoking. getting support. and talking to your doctor about how prescription treatments can help you. talk to your doctor about prescription treatment options. and make this time, your time. fresh and tasty naturally so, do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy which beneful prepared meals. tonight? roasted chicken recipe? - savory rice and lamb stew. - [ barks ] you re right. tonight is a beef stew kind of night. [ announcer ] beneful prepared meals. another healthful, flavorful beneful. construction on a memorial for those on board united airlines flight 93 could be coming in november. the government hass announced the purchase of the crash site in rural western pennsylvania. and about 1,400 acres around it. the plane was hijacked on 9/11, after leaving newark, new jersey. it crashed when passengers fought with the hijackers. all 40 onboard died. a major push is under way nationwide, calling for a ban on texting while driving. a recent study showing texting behind the wheel increases the risk of a crash 23-fold. it says if every state passes a texting ban, it will send a message to the public that this is dangerous. and it is a practice that should be unacceptable. another potential distraction in the car are gps devices. but if used the right way, they can cut down your time on the road. drivers using a gps with real-time traffic information take about 18% less time to get to places. and that can add up to about four days over the course of a year. some sports this morning. in tennis, both defending singles champions, roger federer and serena williams were winners on the first day of the u.s. open. the other highlights now from jonathan coachman at espn news. good morning, the story of the night, brett favre. vikings and texans. number 4, getting his second start for minnesota. scheduled to play into the second half. pretty easy when you got this guy. adrian peterson. first play from scrimmage. he s gone. 75 yards to the house. 11 rushes. 117 and the touchdown for peterson. vikings, up 7-0. second half, favre still in the game. questionable play here. watch at the bottom of your screen. he s going to hit eugene wilson low. he s going to be flagged for an illegal block. eugene wilson said afterwards, i was wondering what the heck he was doing. favre said, didn t mean to hurt anybody. vikings win 17-10. blue jays/rangers. what a shootout. top four. adam lind, the grand slam. and the jays go up 10-0. game over? not so fast. bottom five. nelson cruz, with two men on. the 29th of the year for cruz. rangers continue to cut into the lead. how about chris delgos. look at the catch by vernon wells. the sac fly run comes in. 11-10. top nine, same score. lind again. the blue jays win a shootout, 18-10. that will do it for now. i m the coach. jeremy and vinita, back in the studio. our thanks to jonathan. now, a sad story for all of our dug lovers out there. a record-setting canine has passed away. this is chanel dixon. she had been the world s oldest dog. she wore goggles. but she had a hearty appetite p and recently appeared as a guest on tv shows. she was 21 years old. that s 147 in dog years. so, what s the problem? these are hot. we re shipping em everywhere. but we can t predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates. well with us, it s the same flat rate. same flat rate. boston. boise? same flat rate. alabama. alaska? with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. dude s good. dude s real good. dudes. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. so i couldn t always do what i wanted to do. but 5 minutes ago i took symbicort and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. so today, i ve noticed a significant difference in my breathing. and i m doing more of what i want to do. so we re clear, it doesn t replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort and it significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort has made a significant difference in my breathing. now more of my want to s are can do s. ask your doctor about symbicort today. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. 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(announcer) if you cannot afford your medication, activia light!ht yogurt like no other./ delicious, fat free, and above all. the only one that ha bifidus regularis and is clinically roven to help regulate, your digestive system. ha bifidus regularis activia light. activiaaa! now at 5:00 neighbors told us this was going to happen. at 2:30 this morning it did. you ll hear it from those who live here. it caused outrage in may. the teen accused of attacking and killing a 14-year-old boy and the plea that is about to be entered in court this morning. something you can t describe. every window you look out there s just a solid wall of flame. like a tornado with fire. this morning an iconic sign known around the world is being threatened by that massive fire in california as smoke billows over the hollywood sign. the pictures are incredible. good tuesday morning. thank you for joining us. how are you feeling? you are? megan pringle you are? jamie costello. and you are watching us on the first day of september. where did the summer go? how about it with the weather? man, let s take this outside. one of the coldest temperatures we have in the state is just nearby in fredrick county. we start on storm center weathernet in sebillasville, 48 degrees, with 90% humidity. patchy fog. down to 47 in mount airy as well. 51 westminster. 54 owings mills and killingsville. kingsville. and annapolis, 60 by the water. showers ahead on the lower eastern shore pushed off the coast. most of the state dealing with clear skies this morning. we ll average around 55, 75 this afternoon with a sunny to partly cloudy sky then looking for a chance