around the corner, startled her and her dog, and the bear scampered away. she lives next to a wildlife reserve, and bears, while not too common, are known to run the area from time to time. spencer, i could take, i lived in florida, and we saw some bears. >> you dead? my gosh. >> we saw three of them up in a tree, there is -- think of the bears. >> i was thinking alligator. >> lots of alligators. we have that too. that's why i'm here. thank you so much for joining us, we will see you back here at 6:00. >> linsey: tonight, the deadliest wildfire in modern american history, the painstaking search for victims. and new reporting on why the island's emergency warning system never activated when it was needed the most. more than 90 confirmed dead. the staggering toll likely much higher. only a small fraction of the

burn zone has been searched with cadaver dogs. dramatic new video shows the moment families jumped into the ocean to escape the flames. and what we're learning tonight about a new lawsuit over the possible cause of the inferno. and the urgent search for the missing in the rubble. we meet a man desperately trying to find nine of his lost loved ones. americans opening their hearts to the maui victims. how you can help. whit johnson and will carr, on the ground in maui. millions on alert for severe storms. intense winds in the center of the country. the threat moves east to start the work week, as the pacific northwest braces for dangerous heat, triple digits in portland. abc news has obtained new video that shows police raiding a small town newspaper. less than 24 hours later, the paper's co-owner suddenly dies. what led up to this extraordinary police action and what officers seized. breaking news, video just coming in. a crash at an air show in michigan. a fighter jet slamming into a building. the crew parachuting to safety.

new details in that mysterious and deadly house explosion in pennsylvania. at least five people killed, a dozen homes damaged, and the surprising conclusion that gas was not the cause of it. former president trump bracing for a possible fourth indictment this week. georgia officials accusing trump of tampering with the 2020 election results. aaron katersky standing by in atlanta. and classes are canceled for nearly 100,000 students after a school bus snafu. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >> linsey: good evening, everyone. thanks for joining us on this sunday. i'm linsey davis. tonight, the death toll is climbing in the maui fire. at least 93 people confirmed dead, making this the deadliest wildfire in modern american history. and there are growing questions about why the island's comprehensive emergency warning system did not sound. officials confirm there were no audible alerts. hurricane force gusts only caused the flames to spread more

rapidly giving many little time to escape. some residents are asking if lives could have been saved. we talked to those who had to resort to water. a 19-year-old, his mother and brother stranded in the water for five hours. search teams painstakingly going through what's left. cadaver dogs searching for victims. and the outpouring of support. residents helping to unload a catamaran arriving with much needed supplies for the hard-hit town. one of a number of examples of aloha strong. we have team coverage from maui today. whit johnson leads us off. >> reporter: tonight, maui's catastrophic infernos now marking the deadliest wildfire in modern u.s. history. the lives of at least 93 people lost in the flames. one of them, carole hartley, whose sister today told us the world has lost a beautiful soul. and with hundreds still unaccounted for, growing fears the true toll is even worse. many calling on public officials to be more transparent. >> we know we've got to go quick.

but we got to do it right. so, when we pick up the remains and they fall apart, and so when you have 200 people running through the scene yesterday and some of you that's what you're stepping on. i don't know how much more you want me to describe it. that's what you're stepping on. >> reporter: of those lucky to survive, some jumping into the ocean -- >> both sides to the left and the right are on fire. >> reporter: -- including 19-year-old noah tomkinson, who captured this harrowing video. he was with his mother and younger brother, escaping the fast-moving flames, wading in the water for five hours. >> we're through the worst of it. we're gonna be okay. >> reporter: and mike cicchino, who owns a dog care business in lahaina, saw the oncoming flames and ran to the beach, hunkering down with others. >> there's times where we had to leave some of the dogs up on the wall or on the water.

when we swam out because we cannot hold the dogs up plus ourselves. but, you know, at the very end, when we were able to get there, and give them back to their parents. >> reporter: tonight, serious questions remain about the alerts that failed to sound. the hawaii emergency management agency confirming on an island with one of world's most comprehensive siren systems, most often used to warn of possible tsunamis, none were activated. >> there were multiple fires at the same time. and the circumstance was greatly complicated also by the heat, and the speed with which the fire spread, destroying a great deal of infrastructure. over time, we'll be able to figure out if we could've better protected people. >> reporter: the hurricane-force wind gusts taking down infrastructure like cell towers and power lines. flare-ups tonight, continuing during what is maui's dry season. two of the three original fires still burning. the search to find human remains intensifying, but only a small portion of destroyed structures

have been searched by cadaver dogs. >> we're going as fast as we can. but just so you know, 3%, that's what's been searched with the dogs, 3%. >> reporter: today, l.a. county sending 12 of their cadaver dogs to help. many frustrated families trying to pick up the pieces and move forward. lisa says she received no alerts, fleeing for her life only after seeing explosions, smoke, and flames. >> that's when i saw the brush fire, but then also the big fire, the big explosion. >> reporter: lisa taking these photos of the fire, roaring into lahaina, as she raced to get out. her boyfriend, jeff, who is traveling on the mainland, rushing home when he heard the news. >> i was getting text messages saying front street is on fire, everything is on fire, lahaina is burning right now. everything is exploding. i couldn't hear from her, and the only thing i could think about is if she was okay. >> reporter: their lahaina home now gone. but lisa is grateful to be alive. your heart still aches for the people left behind.

>> oh, yeah. i think lahaina was a really magical, beautiful town. >> linsey: such harrowing stories. whit johnson joins us now. what do we know about these lawsuits against state and local power companies? >> reporter: at least one class action lawsuit has already been filed accusing the power companies of leaving their power lines energized when they knew there was a risk of high fire danger and powerful winds. hawaiian electric telling us tonight they cannot comment on pending litigation and that the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. >> our thanks to you. >> linsey: we turn now to will carr and the latest on the search efforts days later and hundreds still waiting on word from their loved ones. >> reporter: tonight, the painstaking search for the missing through the charred landscape of lahaina. as the search and rescue continues, they are spray painting xs on each building that's cleared and it's not just homes, it's also cars, street by

street, block by block. officials now asking for the public's help. >> if you've got missing family members, go to the fac. we need you to do the dna test. we need to identify your loved ones. >> reporter: outside the family assistant center in kahului, many still searching for loved ones. >> this is jono and adelea. >> reporter: he says he's looking for nine of his family members. >> we have been to a lot of hotels in lahaina, but none are there. we have been to the police station, red cross, anywhere we can find them, but nothing. >> reporter: and benny flew in from the mainland to find his 98-year-old aunt louise. >> we want confirmation she's safe. >> reporter: what was the last you heard. >> she was at the senior center in lahaina. >> reporter: being evacuated? >> yes, it also burned down. >> reporter: every shelter has lists of people who are still missing, those who have been found, even pictures.

you have melba benjamin and ed sotto, the faces of the missing as families are still holding on to hope their loved ones are still out there. a maui local creating a public spreadsheet where people can track down their loved ones. so far, almost 5,000 names have been entered, over 1,000 still not found. as the search continues, residents are still cut off from the hardest hit parts of lahaina, and with no cell phone service, they are desperate to get in to try to find their family members. linsey. >> most important of all. will, thank you. tonight, millions are on alert for severe storms in the nation's heartland. that threat is moving east to start the work week. powerful storms lashing parts of oklahoma this weekend, in knoxville, tennessee, this tree crashed down on a home during strong winds. the same area is under threat tomorrow. and a dangerous heat wave now unfolding in the northwest. meteorologist somara theodore joins us now. can you time this out for us? >> reporter: these storms will be moving through during the middle of the night.

that's what makes them specifically dangerous. strong storms are likely from texas to tennessee. the primary hazard zone is in southern missouri where there's an elevated risk for tornadoes. tomorrow, that threat then shifts east. communities from kentucky to the mid-atlantic will bree impacted with damaging winds and large hail. meanwhile, the heat continues to plague much of the country, expansive heat alerts from texas to virginia and an extended period of heat in the pacific northwest. many cities reaching the triple digits. in fact, in portland, oregon, they could be looking at 100 degrees or higher for three days in a row. >> unrelenting, thank you. >> linsey: tonight, abc news has obtained video of police raising a small town kansas newspaper. the incident raising first amendment questions. at issue, a tip a reporter received about a story the paper never published. authorities are defending the raid. tonight, the newspaper says its 98-year-old co-owner died one day after the raid because of the stress she suffered. more now from faith abubey.

>> reporter: tonight, abc news has obtained video of a small town kansas police force raiding the newsroom of the marion county record. now the heart of a battle over the first amendment. officers reading a reporter her rights, snapping photographs and taking away computers. >> it's everything you ever heard in the third world. it really is like we're living in stalinist russia or nazi germany or vladimir putin's russia. >> reporter: eric meyer co-owns the paper with his 98-year-old mother whose home was also raided friday. he tells abc news she died on saturday, one day after the raid, saying she was too stressed to sleep or eat. >> she had eight hours a week working for us, putting together a column of memories. how dare they take the last day of her life and make her filled with fear and anger. >> reporter: at issue, meyer says, is a tip one of his

reporters received about a local business owner accused of driving illegally. they decided not to publish the story. >> we notified the police they told us this. they never responded. the person who was the target of this then falsely accused us of illegally obtaining the information. >> reporter: that prompted a search warrant, though federal laws protect journalists from search and seizure and instead require a subpoena, but the chief of the marion police department says in a statement, there are exceptions like, quote, when there's reason to believe the journalist is taking part in the underlying wrongdoing. the paper denies any wrongdoing and says it won't be deterred. >> if they think i'm going to give up because they made it difficult for us to put out a newspaper for one week, they have another thing coming. >> reporter: and a statement, the kansas bureau of investigations says it has joined an investigation into allegations of illegal access and dissemination of confidential criminal justice information.

the kbi says it did not take out the search warrants, was not present when they were served, and believes very strongly that freedom of the press is a vanguard of american democracy. linsey. >> faith, thank you. >> linsey: an urgent investigation is under way outside pittsburgh, a massive explosion and fire rocking a neighborhood. at least five people were killed, several others hurt. three homes completely leveled. the blast and fire leaving only rubble behind. debris damaging a dozen nearby structures. red cross and salvation army stepping in to help those who are displaced. details from abc's jaclyn lee. >> reporter: tonight, with five people now confirmed dead, there are growing questions about what caused a deadly explosion in a pittsburgh suburb. officials say gas was not to blame. a homeowner provided our affiliate wtae doorbell video capturing the moment this home exploded saturday morning, leveling three homes and damaging at least a dozen others.

>> report of multiple people buried under debris, at least one surviving victim. all units requesting fire departments. >> reporter: first responders rushing in, remnants of homes are scattered throughout the area. cars now charred. debris surrounding this children's playground. >> i can remember what these houses look like. i'm shaking. i know what they look like before and now this. i can't believe it. it's unreal. >> reporter: three residents were hospitalized, one remains in critical condition. 18 fire departments responded, 57 firefighters were treated on scene for minor injuries. officials say the investigation could take months if not years. linsey. >> so mysterious. jaclyn, thank you. >> reporter: former president trump could be days away from another felony indictment, this time in georgia. fulton county d.a. fani willis will present her case to a grand jury this week. senior investigative reporter aaron katersky reports from atlanta. >> reporter: tonight, with a

fourth indictment against donald trump possibly days away, georgia officials doubling down on allegations the former president tampered with the state's 2020 presidential election results. >> he lost this state and he continued to say he didn't lose it and it's just creating a lot of tension and a lot of chaos. >> reporter: creating tension in our politics is no crime, but a grand jury will weigh this week if how trump and his allies tried to cling to power is. >> i just want to find 11,780 votes. >> reporter: trump pressured georgia's secretary of state to overturn joe biden's victory. trump's chief of staff, mark meadows, was on that call, too, and traveled to georgia to observe an audit of the vote. trump's personal attorney rudy giuliani appeared before a state senate committee pushing falsehoods of fraud that two poll workers, ruby freeman and shaye moss, say upended their lives. now, fulton county district attorney fani willis will

present the case to a grand jury. several witnesses say they've been called to testify, including georgia's former lt. governor geoff duncan and george chidi, a journalist and fox atlanta contributor who stumbled into a meeting of alternate trump electors at the state capitol. trump has signaled he expects to be indicted but denies any wrongdoing. >> we don't take plea deals because i did nothing wrong. >> reporter: campaigning in iowa this weekend, he stood firm in his false claims about the last election. >> a lot of bad things took place during that election. >> reporter: the grand jury getting ready to convene here, they put these orange barriers around the courthouse. by tomorrow, the street in front will be closed. the prospect of an indictment in a fourth case for trump does not appear to be hurting him politically. he has a big lead, according to the polls, against his republican rivals. and he campaigned this weekend in iowa, boasting of a big lead. linsey. >> aaron katersky, our thanks to you. >> linsey: turning to politics now, the crowded republican field is vying for attention. the first republican debate just

ten days away. former vice president mike pence will be there, but will former president trump? i recently asked mike pence that question. you think he'll be on that debate stage august 23rd? >> i hope so, i really do. i think anybody that wants the privilege of being the standard bearer of the republican party ought to be on that debate stage. and i hope he's there. >> you can see my full interview with mike pence tomorrow on prime at 7:00 p.m. eastern. >> linsey: there's still much more ahead, including a violent smash and grab, a busy store left in shambles as a mob takes off with merchandise. >> and breaking news out of michigan. a fighter jet crashes during an air show. ♪ the thought of getting screened ♪ ♪ for colon cancer made me queasy. ♪ ♪ but now i've found a way that's right for me. ♪ ♪ feels more easy. ♪ ♪ my doc and i agreed. ♪ ♪ i pick the time. ♪

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the crew ejecting and landing in a lake. they didn't appear to suffer any serious injuries but were taken to the hospital as a precaution. the mig-23 crashed into several vehicles in a parking lot. smoke and fire was spotted at the scene. but no one on the ground was hurt. >> meanwhile, a scary scene on an american airlines flight from charlotte to gainesville, florida, last week. it was possibly caused by a pressurization issue. oxygen masks were deployed and flight records indicate the jet dropped more than 15,000 feet in just three minutes to get to an altitude with breathable air. no one was hurt. the jet did land safely in gainesville with no reported injuries. when we come back, no school for nearly 100,000 students. the bus snafu that's keeping them at home. hi, i'm katie. i live in flagstaff, arizona. i'm an older student. i'm getting my doctorate in clinical psychology. i do a lot of hiking and kayaking. i needed something to help me gain clarity. so i was in the pharmacy and i saw a display of prevagen

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worth of merchandise. no arrests have been made. >> linsey: public schools will be closed in louisville, kentucky, for the next few days. 96,000 students are staying at home as administrators try to straighten out a mess involving buses. some students were not picked up at all on wednesday. others were brought home well after dark. the bus routes were revamped over the summer but the superintendent now admits it was a, quote, disaster and has apologized to parents. >> linsey: when we come back, americans across the country opening their hearts to the victims in maui and how you can also help. i'm kareem abdul jabbar. i was diagnosed with afib. the first inkling that something was wrong was i started to notice that i couldn't do things without losing my breath. i couldn't make it through the airport, and every like 20 or 30 yards i had to sit down and get my breath. every physical exertion seemed to exhaust me. and finally, i went to the hospital where i was diagnosed with afib.

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tragedies can bring out the best in us. in the midst of maui's grief, there is gratitude. >> we lost everything, thank god we still have each other. we were all alive and safe and counted for. >> linsey: the need here so great, which is why these residents from an unaffected part of the island boarded a sailboat to bring over much needed supplies. the volunteers forming a human assembly line to unload what is quite literally a boatload of donations. across the country, people of all ages pitching in. 8-year-old julian lin set up this lemonade stand in new york's central park. >> generosity for me is like breathing. >> he is raising to help a friend he and his mother met while on vacation this year in maui. >> we want to make whatever small contribution we can. >> linsey: longtime red cross of chicago volunteer paul banman is on his way to the island to help. >> we are there to support them on the worst day of their lives.

>> linsey: local red cross volunteers are providing aid, from food to baby care supplies. the shelter now serves as home for thousands in this community. out front, free coffee and camaraderie. anything to help lift their spirits. for anyone who wants to help, you can scan the qr code or go to abcnews.com. thanks for watching. good night. >> on abc 7 news at 6:00, the latest from maui at the search for survivors in a series of devastating wildfires continuing . how you can pitch in to help with the relief effort. another case of san francisco's driverless vehicles creating a motionless mess.

the fired up response from one city official to a traffic jam he is calling dangerous and unnecessary. and another sideshow's care, this one involving fire and fireworks. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> off, no alarm, no text telling us we needed to evacuate. >> it has been five days since the start of the deadly wildfires, still burning in maui. the comments from many fire victims are starting to turn from fear and despair to anger. thank you for joining us, j.r. stone. let's get right to the latest from maui. j.r.: at least 93 people have died from the wildfires, marking the deadliest wildfire disaster in u.s. history. just a small percent of the fire zone has been scorched and searched, with officials describing troubling scenes as they f