captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, and in hd, this is abc 7 "news at noon," on your side. >> three children are in critical condition after an apartment fire in southwest d.c., and now investigators want to know why no adults were in that apartment. this happened early this morning at the 1600 block of naylord road, and that is where we go with the latest. what did you learn out there this morning? >> right now the three children are in critical but stable conditions.

investigators are looking into the causes of the fire. three small children were inside a locked apartment and all alone. when they arrive, they found apartments filled with smoke. fire officials say the call came from the first floor but the smoke was billowing from a second floor apartment. once inside, firefighters found three children, 4-year-old girls and a 5-year-old boy. they were all unconscious from smoke inhalation. rescuers rushed them to the hospital. >> when we arrive, the only people in the apartment were the children. >> investigators say that the father of the children returned to the apartment building mid morning. they took him to the hospital to

be with the children could investigators also say they are trying to determine who was caring for the children and why no adults were in the unit when the fire broke out. firefighters put out the fire quickly could investigators are still trying to determine the cause, but they don't suspect arson. meanwhile, the three children are breathing on their own and in critical but stable condition. we have also learned that the fire started in the kitchen area of the apartment. earlier this morning, all residents of the complex were evacuated, but at this time, everyone has been allowed back into the building, except the occupants of the apartment where the fire started. >> all right, thank you very much for that. turning to the weather now, as a snowstorm blanketed the region with nearly a foot of snow in the area, pamela brown kicks off our storm watch

coverage from maryland. >> by around 7:00 this morning, the temperatures began to rise, with snow and slush on the roadways melting, but in some spots, looks were deceiving. white powder blanketing the ground and coding tree branches sure does look pretty, but for some it was downright ugly. >> you are taking a long commute from hagerstown or southern maryland, is really atrocious. >> 250 trucks have been busy plowing and salting the secondary and main roads since last night. neighborhood roads were dicey for some commuters. >> my road was not clear at all, but it was just a little bit of snow so did not matter. >> conditions significantly improve and drivers to notice. with snow piled up on type of snow from the weekend, it

measured six inches in parts. >> more snow this winter than the last three combined. we just having a snowy winter. >> more of the six expected in the next two days. -- more of the same is expected in theext two days. prince george's county transportation official asks residents to pack their patients. >> if it is a little bit of snow, a texas lawyer to get the residential -- it takes us longer to get to the residentials. >> the hope is that the snow will not for the next big wave on friday. pamela brown, abc 7 news. >> a tanker crashed in rocks last had happened around 10:30 to it was carrying diesel when the driver lost control and the vehicle overturned.

officials arrive to make sure that none of it contaminate nearby cek the driver at injuries but is expected to be ok. crews deployed 1400 plows and salt trucks to get northern virginia's rose ready for today's commute. cornyn robinson continues our coverage -- to me robinson continues our coverage from springfield, virginia. >> out came the cleanup crew. the overnight snowfall made it into early morning. some are still digging out from the snowfall. >> it was -- >>bad. >> bad. >> in virginia, they were clear before you open your eyes. >> it is the side roads that

have not been cleared yet. >> crews are still out patrolling northern virginia. they were out on the roadways last night and into the morning hours. despite best efforts, there are neighborhood trees like this one of the snowy-slushy mix, and i dreamed needed -- and underneath it could be ice. >> it actually is not too bad driving out, as long as you take it slow. >> others are just liking it. >> do you like the snow? >> we love the snow. >> they are ready for another fall this weekend and crews are getting ready, too. >> turning out to the district, where crews were also well prepared for the storm. the district at more than 180 pieces of equipment out there, clearing roads ahead of last night's snow.

d.c. gets average of but abou15 inches of snow every year. we have already passed that. so far this winter, 24 inches of snow have fallen tree we have more heading our way. the district is postponing work this weekend on the chain bridge. it was supposed to be closed for repairs. this is the second week in a row that work has been delayed because the weather. it will be done on the weekend of february 13 and february 20. all this is putting a major strain on local budgets. virginia is more than $5 million over its 7 $9 billion snow budget. maryland is $10 million over budget, and d.c. officials say that the city is long past the six million-dollar budget already paid but all three agencies say that no matter how much snow comes, they will not stop clearing the roads. they may have to keep the promise sooner than they hoped. another winter storm is heading

our way. brian van de graaff as our forecast. >> it could be a big one as we go into the friday-saturday timeframe. we had a little bit of clearing, and then fog settled in. that will break and we will see that temperatures continue to climb. 38 downtown. we look temperatures in the low 40's with sunshine coming through, which will help the melting today and tomorrow as well. we want to turn our attention to these storms can, because you can see not locally but down to the south, a very low pressure continuing to gain strength. that will be making a beeline for our area, bringing with ampl moisture. cold air will be in place and we will look at another snowstorm. pictures from north arlington. everything blanket in white.

we will show you more pictures in the forecast. >> it was fun for kids out there today. this is a developing story out of dale city, where a woman is behind bars, accused of killing her husband's son and the little boy's mother as well. the woman, from arlington, was arrested last night and charged with two counts of murder. the voice of the -- the bodies of the victims were found monday night in hanover court. it has neighbors and friends of the victims shaken. >> seemed like a really nice person. >> the lady is very quiet and friendly. >> the woman is being held without bond.

baltimore mayor sheila dixon is getting ready to learn her fate. she will be sentenced for perjury and embezzlement charges. the prosecutor says she is out of touch with reality. in december, she was convicted of embezzling gift cards that were originally meant for the needy. a. you top senator has filed legislation to prevent -- a utah senator has filed legislation to prevent people in d.c. from legalizing gay marriages until people get to vote on the measure. the measure passed in the city council back in december, but has not t taken effect. congress can review the legislation until march. get ready to drive faster in virginia legally. virginia lawmakers have passed a bill to boost the top speed limit in the state from 65 miles an hour up to 70. the bill is expected to be

signed soon by gov. bob mcdonnell. he pushed for the increase during his campaign. still to come, bracing for another terror attack officials tell us how likely is that al qaeda will strike again. and more problems for toyota after the company's huge recall. now the government is stepping in. and get ready to say goodbye. just a few hours left to see washington's favorite panda. and the snow is clearing away, but it is coming back. brian will have the details

>> al qaeda is poised to strike the united states within months.

this is the one of the nation's intelligence chief, who are testifying for a second day on capitol hill. they say they are getting useful and actionable information from the alleged christmas day bomber, but they warned it may be harder than ever to see the next attack coming. >> the greater threat is that al qaeda is adapting in methods, in wayshat oftentimes make it to go to detect. >> abc news has learned that the fbi is examining travel records to see if al qaeda operatives are following abdulmutallab's path from yemen to the west -- yemen and to the u.s. soldiers were travelling with pakistan security forces and pakistan officials say they were part of a little-publicized mission to train troops there

but the u.s. embassy is not commenting. president obama is urging senate democrats to finish the job on health care reform. during eight issues retreat at the newseum, the president says he is open to compromise on health care, but once it to pass quickly -- but he wanted to pass quickly. he is following up on a state of the union promised on more outreach to the gop. and republican scott brown followed up on one of his campaign promises, meeting winners of their radio station charity raffle at a boston bar for what they called the brown beer summit. massachusetts officialplan to formally certify his election today. the federal government is investigating how toyota held a

major -- called a major recall -- handled a major recall. the gornment is looking at potential electrical problems that may have led to issues with the gas pedals. >> we want to know what caused the problem, and i don't want just a statement, because they tend to be at variance with what they have said publicly and privately. >> toyota halted sales of eight of their brands. auto sales overall were up six% last month, but toyota sales plummeted by 16%. time to talk about the weather. this could get very interesting as we go from friday afternoon and saturday. we are not even thinking about the snow. >> could be record-breaking. adam was looking at numbers.

>> well, at least is saturday morning. >> a few clouds already. first things first foggy out there this morning, and that developed after the snow finished falling skies are starting to clear up, and we see a fair amount of blew out there. the 38 in falls church. prince frederick at 45. i want to show you the storm from this morning. a few snow showers lingering. , and clear for today. a pretty nice day. we widen out the picture, and down here in the south, all of this lining up over -- energy getting and going down here. we're getting gulf moisture. really just exploding, it seems like come off the coast of the carolinas, throwing energy our

way. could be quite a bit player for snow as we head into the fight saturday time frame, and it could be something that we estimate with more than a rule or if it comes together. -- ore than a ruler if it comes together. this is from leesburg, just a gorgeous look to them in. just makes for a pretty shot out there. isn't that gorgeous? snow on the ground. here is a fresh coating, and it looks pretty neat. this is an alexandria, a top of the building. everything blanketed in white. look at this little mohawk there on that guy. this is a really great picture. the melting really began and will continue tonight. we're back in the 20's.

we are keeping an eye on this next system that could bring major snow friday afternoon into saturday timeframe. we have to keep a close eye on it. maybe another store next tuesday. >> a lot of good pictures. those were needs. > -- neat. the lawyer for the americans arrested in haiti say their kids to be decided today. -- their fates to be decided today. they say they are taking refuge in their faith now. the investigating magistrate will mee with all 10 of the americans and will report to eight district attorney, who will then decide if the americans will be formally charged with a crime. out next, prosecutors closing in on the doctor to michael jackson, but more

complaints are coming from the jackson family. and later today on "oprah," shawan "american i owe" and took -- she won "american idol" took broadway by storm, and now she takes on the rumors. took broadway by storm, and now she takes on the rumors.

chris collins, volunteer firefighter, would be there to save your life. then one night, hit by a car at an accident scene, it was his turn to ride in the ambulance. after years of rehab, chris has learned to take care of himself. but money is so tight, he has trouble staying warm. he just can't afford heating oil. nice to meet you, chris. nice to meet you, and thanks for the oil. you look like you're a fighter, chris. well, i guess i have to be. chris is among the millions of americans who risk their lives each and every day to keep us safe -- our firefighters, our police officers, our emts

and first responders -- men and women who sacrifice for others and sometimes need our help. chris: thanks, joe, and thanks to citgo and the peop of venezuela. hi, i'm joe kennedy from citizens energy, your nonprofit oil company. if you need help staying warm this winter, give us a call at... because no one should be left out in the cold. >> you just have a few hours left to see the popular panda tai shan at the national zoo. wrong video, obviously. today is the last day he will be on display. he is being shipped back to china by fedex to be part of our breeding program. prosecutors plan to file a

criminal charge against michael jackson's dr., conrad murray, for involuntary manslaughter. he was by jackson's side when he went into cardiac arrest after taking a set of a prescribed by him. >> they have a strong case. they've been very meticulous in putting this together. that is why it has taken so long. >> investigators have spent seven months serving subpoenas and interviewing witnesses. conrad murray's attorney says that his client will voluntarily turn himself in once he is charged. a woman watching the sunset on a web cam is being hailed as a hero in germany today. she man -- she spotted a german man lost on the north sea while she was watching the sunset from

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>> forget the groundhog -- one texas town is leaving its weather predictions to something bigger. it asked alamo the longhorn how much more winter we can expect.

>> texas is too big for a mere groundhog to predict the weather. >> the 6-year-old lungwort had trouble seeing his shadow, so that means -- longhorn trouble seeing his shower, so that means it will be an early spring. >> mooooooore. moooooooore. >> oh, no, i am going to ignore that. >> the snow friday afternoon into saturday could be people we saw in december. -- equal to what we saw in december. go to your costco or whatever and get ready. >> sometimes your jo