around the world this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening i'm peter alexander in tonight for lester she was a national treasure betty white celebrated for that irreplaceable spark, her smile and comedic timing that made her an entertainment legend white died today while she lived a remarkable 99 years, her passing comes as she was publically gearing up for her 100th birthday, two weeks from now the unforgettable golden girl denied hollywood's of youth, becoming more popular the older she got. a beloved tv presence since television itself began here's gadi schwartz ♪ thank you for being a friend. >> reporter:r: for america's last golden girl -- >> someone was actually able to deceive me once. >> do tell, rose >> st. olaf's most famous ob/mag. >> what's that >> obstetrician magician. >> reporter: tributes pouring in from around the world. >> she has led an incredible life, was a wonderful person both on the screen and off the screen. >> reporter: betty white, just shy of her 100th birthday, today remembered for her perfect comedic timing. >> facebook is a great way to connect with old friends. well, at my age, if i want to connect with old friends, i need a ouija board. >> ladies and gentlemen, betty white! >> reporter: a youthful age of 88, she became the oldest person ever to host snl after a million people petitioned to get her on the show. >> when i first heard about the campaign to get me to host "saturday night live," i didn't know what facebook was and now that i do know what it is, i have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time >> and in her later years, betty white's unstoppable nature took on a life of its own. >> what do you like to do in your free time. >> oh, i like to -- i like to do most anything play with animals mostly. and vodka is kind of a hobby. >> reporter: celebrated in super bowl commercials guest starring in modern rom-coms. >> to the universe. >> reporter: white recently told "people" magazine, her secret to longevity, i try to avoid anything green in 1953 she co-produced her own comedy show, "life with elizabeth". >> what's so terrible about spiders? >> tell him, honey. >> they go doing >> reporter: at the betty white show in 1958, she showcased some of her other talents. ♪ someone who'd watch over me. >> reporter: and on "the mary tyler moore show", betty's show stealing performance as sue anne nivens turned what was supposed to be a small, insignificant role into america's happiest homemaker. >> i have done that show every day since july 1963. you know what that means, mary? it means i've been smiling for 11 years. >> reporter: who could forget the beloved rose nylund on the "golden girls"? >> reporter: and in the land of romantic comedies, betty lived a love story for the ages, meeting her future husband alan on the game show "password". >> one thing, the password tonight is -- >> home. will you take me home, please. >> i certainly will. thank you. good night. >> reporter: when her husband died from cancer in 1981, she never remarried. during her spare time, betty white was a fierce friend of animals, raising money and always advocating for their protection tonight her hollywood star celebrated by those who took her as inspiration, her passing marking an end to an golden era peter, you are looking right now at this growing memorial right here on the hollywood walk of fame people coming saying prayers for betty white. in fact, there is a touching note right there that says somebody is going to be donating in betty white's memory to animal rights cause, something she would have appreciated a lot of people here taking comfort in something that her long-time agent, very close friend said. betty never feared death because she always believed she would finally be reunited with her husband. peter, back to you. >> she really was a one of a kind entertainer. gadi schwartz, thank you. now to those devastating wild fires in colorado that destroyed communities in seconds, as many as one thousand homes burned, leaving families homeless to start 2022 and tonight that threat is still not over emilie ikeda is on the front lines near denver. >> reporter: tonight the destruction is catastrophic as fast-moving infernos raged across colorado, tripling its size in less than 24 hours tearing through residential neighborhoods like a blowtorch. >> it is pretty shocking the wind was blowing in all over the world. old town superior was on fire. it's just unbelievable >> reporter: chaos and confusion as tens of thousands scrambled for their lives. >> right or left >> reporter: shoppers fleeing a costco with a doomsday scenario closing in. >> it almost seems like a tornado, a hurricane, a fire all in one. >> reporter: president biden promising federal assistance as today colorado's governor surveyed the damage from the air. entire communities now an apocalyptic wasteland. have you seen anything like this before >> well, nothing with the pace of this fire. this one was right in, you know, your neighborhood target, your neighborhood costco the hospital had to be evacuated. so this is a fast-moving urban and suburban fire. >> reporter: the estimated toll now upwards of 1,000 homes damaged or destroyed the marshall fire points to be the most destructive blaze in colorado history for property loss. the cause still under investigation. >> our neighborhood was pretty engulfed in smoke. >> reporter: among the residents who will return to nothing, college football coach mark smith. >> we've gotten some reports from some of our neighbors that our entire street is gone. and that's -- that's just hard to swallow. >> reporter: still tonight, a sigh of relief amid so much devastation few reported injuries, and officials holding out hope for no loss of life. >> if we can emerge from this without any fatalities, that's nothing short of a new year's miracle. >> and emilie ikeda joins us live from boulder, colorado. now, what progress are firefighters making as they're trying to put out those fires? certainly getting help from the snow. >> reporter: hey there, peter so it is still far from being contained, but first responders getting badly needed help from the weather. first those winds have eased up second, you can see moisture on the ground snow covering burn scars like the ones you see behind me. boulder county could get up to eight inches of snow by tomorrow night. peter? >> what a dramatic difference in that scene in just 24 hours. thank you. for those tens of thousands forced to flee with almost no warning, it has been a terrifying ordeal. nbc's steve patterson now on the dramatic escape as the fires closed in. out the window, the smoke was thickening as jason fletcher in colorado for the holidays -- >> cassidy >> reporter: -- shot this video, he was at a chuckie cheese with his wife and family. >> i saw flames and i yelled, "flames. i see fire." >> reporter: with the fire approaching, dangerously close to the restaurant, they gathered children scrambled to the exit. winds so strong, for a moment they struggled to get out >> you finally get outside and it's all hitting you and the wind was moving so fast. >> i felt the wind hitting. that's when the danger really set in. fire and wind of that magnitude is very dangerous. >> reporter: after a rush to the parking lot, gridlocked as hundreds tried to flee the crowded shopping center >> i looked back at my son and he was trying to hold back tears i just told him, we're going to be okay we're going to be okay we said a little prayer. >> reporter: tonight, though shaken by the experience -- >> that was the scariest part for me because i said those words that we were going to be okay, but i was just saying it until i could believe it >> reporter: the fletcher family glad to be alive. steve patterson joins me now steve, good news for the fletcher family. but for many colorado families, still a lot of unknowns tonight. >> reporter: well, peter, still tens of thousands under mandatory evacuation, and so many worried about the status of their homes. but despite that, there is no eta on when they can return home officials say despite all the snow now, this is still very much an active fire zone peter? >> steve patterson in colorado steve, thank you. even after a tough year dominated by covid tonight, another record setter. nearly 600,000 americans testing positive in a single day. that eye popping case count forcing many people to revisit their new year's plans. some cities even canceling festivities. but at new york times square, the show will go on. kathy park is there. >> reporter: tonight covid canceling new year's eve celebrations again as infections skyrocket from coast to coast. nearly 600,000 covid cases nationwide in just the last 24 hours. a new record for the second day in a row. and now for the second year, officials called off san francisco's fireworks show atlanta's peach drop canceled, too. >> i really do think it's the best interest of the city to keep everyone as safe as possible. >> reporter: new york city smashing its daily covid record for the third straight day. more than 76,000 new cases and 21% of the nypd out sick. but the party in times square is still on though scaled back with revelers required to be fully vaccinated and masked. >> it makes you feel better, but you can only do so much. >> i'm willing to risk it all. >> reporter: but no restrictions in las vegas, hosting one of the biggest countdowns in the country with roughly 300,000 visitors expected on the strip. it comes after many countries already welcomed the new year. fireworks in australia and dubai. in japan public celebrations canceled, but crowds still out on tokyo streets back in the u.s. tonight, worries about rising hospitalizations from green bay, wisconsin where health care workers are getting help from members of the navy. >> they're trading in their navy green for bell and blue scrubs. >> reporter: to a spike in st. louis. >> today we broke our single day record for covid admissions this is really a frightening scenario. >> reporter: although the cdc says omicron appears to be a milder disease than other variants, and dr. fauci suggests a report of rise in pediatric hospitalizations are misleading. >> if a child goes into the hospital, they automatically get tested for covid, when in fact they may go in for a broken leg or appendicitis or something like that. so it's overcounting the number of children who are, quote, hospitalized with covid. >> reporter: now in the countdown to 2022, covid is trying to steal the spotlight again as the nation struggles to put the pandemic in the past. >> and kathy down in times square tonight you are already seeing some of the changes officials were talking about. >> reporter: peter, that is right. before folks even enter this area, they had to show proof of vaccination. they also had to mask up the crowd tonight will be capped at just 15,000 despite the covid risk to the city, many people tell me they didn't want to miss out on such an iconic event. peter. >> kathy, stay safe tonight. we're back in 60 seconds. with a one-two punch airline sickouts to now punishing storms set to complicate your flight home. tonight the travel nightmare is growing for millions of americans. airlines today grounding more than 1,500 flights, the most this week and thousands more are already canceled this weekend. on top of it, new storms are barrelling across the country vaughn hillyard has the latest. >> reporter: tonight thousands of canceled flights piling up ahead of what was already slated to be one of the busiest weekends of air travel the entire year. >> they said the wait time was one hour and 58 minutes >> reporter: just today more than 1,500 flights canceled, another 2,700 delayed. jesse wright's family was supposed to be on one of them, forced to change airports after a last-minute cancellation. >> as i was pressing the button to come in, i checked my phone and i looked on my phone and it just said flight canceled. >> reporter: the rapid spread of the omicron variant debilitating airlines and airports. how long should folks expect these cancellations? >> i don't think there is any reason to think that these cancellations are going to stop before the holiday travel period ends. >> reporter: the number of tsa agents out tripled in the last week. now more than 1,700 off the job with covid. and the faa today in a statement saying traffic volume at some facilities could be reduced, noting an increase in the number of its employees testing positive all this as a massive winter storm system sweeps across the country. snow and sleet making its way to the midwest overnight, expected to barrel down on key airport hubs from denver to dallas and chicago. >> look, expect the worst but hope for the best you will likely find delays you will likely have your flight canceled. >> reporter: a rocky start to the new year for thousands of travelers. >> and vaughn joins us now. what are the airlines doing to try to clear this log jam of flights. >> reporter: peter, united just today began offering its pilots triple pay for any extra legs they fly in january these airlines are under increasing pressure due to these positive cases within their own crews. peter? >> vaughn hillyard in new york's laguardia airport today. thank you. on wall street it was a losing day but a winning year stocks closed lower on this final day of 2021, but all three major indexes finished the year with double digit gains. the dow up more than 19%. the nasdaq more than 21%. and the s&p posting a gain for the year of nearly 27% we're back in a moment with that tiger attack in florida will a man who reached into his cage face charges? tonight investigators are trying to determine what led a custodian to reach into a tiger cage at a florida zoo. the sheriffs office says the man whose arm was bitten could face charges after police were forced to shoot and kill the endangered animal. here's kerry sanders. >> reporter: at the naples, florida zoo, the tiger exhibit today empty. eko, a rare eight-year-old malayan tiger was shot and killed wednesday the tragic event captured on a deputy's body cam the officer first tried to scare the tiger that was holding on to a man's arm through the fence, but when that did not work, a single shot fired. >> it's like losing a member of the family. >> reporter: there are fewer than 300 malayan tigers left on earth. >> eko was ultimately shot in the neck. >> reporter: with those teeth endangering a man's life, the zoo says the deputy did what was right. >> sorry i'm sorry. i'm sorry. >> reporter: 26-year-old river rosenquist's arm was mauled by the tiger. he was last listed in stable condition investigators say he could face potential charges. >> it was a bad mistake, bad decision. but we only wish him well in the recovery. >> reporter: don't we know that tigers are dangerous? >> you look at something like that train wreck tiger king and you see people hugging cubs and playing with tigers and people say, oh, i can do that. >> reporter: the zoo staff tonight broken hearted. >> we have to take care of eko. >> the only change we have made out of respect for our staff is that we're not going to do keeper talks today. and that's just for them >> reporter: what was already a rare delight now no more. kerry sanders, nbc news >> and when we come back, some of our favorite memories of betty white. always a source of sunshine and sass, betty white had a unique way with words. hers often made us laugh. so tonight we thought we'd give betty white the final word >> ladies and gentlemen, betty white! >> i just can't believe i am hosting "saturday night live." i'm not sure -- you may have, you know that i'm 88 and a half years old, so it's -- well, it's nice to be here for a number of reasons. >> what do you think is the secret between the best relationships? whether they're professional or personal >> kindness. you don't say the hurtful thing, even if you're irritated or upset because that sticks that sticks around or that just chips off a little of the other guy's self-esteem. >> you know, what is the secret to your success, betty white. >> i am the luckiest old broad on two feet. trust me i just - i love what i do that's what. i'm blessed with good health and great energy. >> what advice would you give people for living a long, happy, productive, meaningful life >> first of all, keep busy and don't focus everything on you. that wears out pretty fast it's not hard to find things you're interested in. but enjoy them and indulge them and i think that keeps you on your toes >> i have lived through a world war, worked on radio and films, on mary tyler moore and "golden girls". >> jimmy, what year do you think betty won her first emmy take a guess. >> and it was not in the 1800s. >> i would say 1964? >> tell him. >> i don't know. >> i'm thanking you. it's -- it's incredible that you can -- you can stay in a -- in a career this long and still have people put up with you. all i can say is, it's such a blessed business to be in, and how lucky can i be and how much i say thank you to each and every one of you thank you so much. [ applause ] >> a good night for some "golden girls" re-runs. that's "nightly news" for this friday. we thank you for watching happy new year and good night ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ we learn about covid-19, the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year? if you're feeling anxious about the future, you're not alone. calhope offers free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673, or live chat at calhope.org today. call 833-317-4673, male announcer: this is an "nbc bay area news special." bigad shaban: is this the worst you've seen it? male: by far, the worst. by far, the worst. male: i'm worried that we're getting too accustomed to it, and we're almost allowing it to happen. announcer: they're talking about car break-ins in san francisco, hitting the city at double, even triple the rates of other major cities. so who's to blame, and what are the consequences? we investigate. then-- female1: if i hadn't come forward, there would either have been a suicide if a kid got isolated or, you know, harassed by her. there could've been a pregnancy. announcer: an nbc bay area exclusive. for the first time since the scandal broke, two women come forward to talk to our investigative team about how a los gatos mom allegedly lured their daughters to parties at her home where she served alcohol to underaged teenagers and encouraged sexual encounters.