out, which at last estimate was only 50% contained. [ inaudible ] reporter: lieutenant- governor abel maldonado, the acting governor was on the scene from 1:30 to 4:00. he has declared a state of emergency and pland a briefing hours from now. and, of course you have everyone asking how this happened. everything points to this being a natural gas explosion. a full investigation was underway but aman said they were warn in signs. every day i could smell that smell from the gutter and sewer. a week and a half ago, pg&e telling me shut the garage, they are investigating a gas smell. out there for a little bit. load up. they won t let anybody know, took off and now the aftermath is this, which is ridiculous. and the aftermath could be seen n a huge crater that was created in the neighborhood. again at this hour, though, the priority remains on getting this fear out on accounting for all of the people who luffed inside the fire area and this is a constantly develop ig sit
so violent, so fast moving, a fire that is still not under control. right now crews are battling a deadly inferno that has leveled an entire neighborhood in san bruno, california. the explosion came seemingly out of no where. families were just sitting down to dinner watching the football game and then that massive explosion rocked the area, sending a fireball over 1,000 feet into the air. now, the exact cause is not yet clear, but the ntsb will be investigating. what we do know is that a ruptured gas line fueled the flames from one house to another. the inferno could be heard, as well as seen, for miles. more than 50 homes destroyed and dozens more damaged. the human toll is even higher. at least three people confirmed dead and the l.a. times is now putting that number at six, others are still fighting for their lives. one woman said the heat was so intense that if she had gotten anywhere closer than she did, her skin would have melted. here s another survivor. i went out
neighborhood last night and created [ inaudible ] reporter: in its wake. at this hour the priority is still getting this fire out. again we are seeing a lot of smoke coming from that neighborhood. you have the victim s number expected to keep changing as they are trying to account for everyone. the lieutenant governor s office is also trying to get a handle on the situation. abel maldonado has declared a state of emergency. he was on scene this morning and is planning a briefing but [ inaudible ] reporter: fluid situation on their end and they are still trying to figure out the exact location of that briefing, which should be in about an hour or so. certainly everyone is still asking how could this happen. witnesses all report cheering and feeling the explosion before that fireball erupted. for the last three weeks right down the street after day from work i could smell that distinct smell from the gutter and sewer, just a week and a half ago, pg&e telling me to
and 79 at dulles and baltimore and close to seasonal and on the mark for national and we are exactly where we should be for this time of the year and here s a look at temperatures now and i thought that was temperatures now and i thought i showed you some winds. 65 degrees right now at national airport as we said and temperatures into the low 60s, the mid-60s and gradually climbing up there and these are the winds. we expect them to pick up a bit over the water and we have a small craft advisory for today and if you want to enjoy the sun, be aware of that. winds from 7 to 15 miles per hour and higher gusts as far as the waterways are concerned. talking 78 degrees and plenty of sunshine. just a few clouds, comfortable and pleasant. we have the winds pushing in from the northwest and a bit of rain heading our way on the weekend and i ll have the details later but it s not a washout. back to you. our top story this morning, the q uran-burning controversy is getting more an
system. lehrer: plus, a report on why some veterans with traumatic brain injuries haven t received purple hearts. it feels like nobody cares, like i was left behind. and one of the things you always learn from the very beginning is never leave a soldier behind. i was left behind. woodruff: and we have a conversation with former house majority leader dick armey about his new book chronicling the tea party movement. lehrer: that s all ahead on tonight s newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. lehrer: a florida pastor claimed his congregation would not ignite a muslim holy bo