clayton sandell is in maricopa county tonight with the very latest. >> reporter: summer's heat is already a weather blockbuster. today it's 110 degrees in phoenix. records this week melted away. yuma, arizona -- 118. 117 in las vegas. death valley hit 129 -- five degrees shy of the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth. the problem is -- as people warm the climate -- heat waves are getting hotter. the danger is -- it's barely cooling off at night. >> the sun goes down. you expect temperatures to fall off, but they don't and your body just does not get a break at all. >> reporter: every year, extreme heat kills more people than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and lightning combined. forecasters blame a "kink" in the jet stream for causing this week's wild swings -- including pounding rain and flash floods across the southeast. >> some locations have seen upwards of one foot of rain. within the last couple of days. >> reporter: the heat is also revving up a wildfire season that's destroyed more than eight hundred homes -- torched 1.7 million acres -- and claimed the lives of 19 firefight

>> our thanks to you, clayton sandell. with us again tonight from texas. >>> tonight, across much of the east, high temperatures near 90. who would have thought that would seem cool? it's relief. the system pushing it out brought extreme weather. tonight, ginger zee on that and the giant storm in the southwest bringing dangerous floods there, too. >> reporter: tonight, rescued in phoenix. dangling from a helicopter as many in the southwest are suffering. submerged by the seasonal monsoon. standing water bringing this highway to a standstill. the streets in las vegas, swallowed hole. and right there, a tight hug after three children are rescued from a tucson area river bed. >> they were out playing. all of a sudden, they realized they're surrounded by water. >> reporter: earlier today, phoenix had almost an inch of rain in just 30 minutes. they're already three times their monthly average for july. as the cold front sliced through the great lakes, breaking the week-long heat, it came with destructive thunderstorms and flash

abc's clayton sandell has video of cars caught in a river of mud and what you should do to get out. >> reporter: it came on like a tsunami. in seconds sweeping dozens of drivers off this road. near colorado springs. >> my wife is stuck in the mud slide, boulders on top of the car. she's panicked. >> reporter: the torrent slams into the san francisco gazette reporter, his car spins 180 degrees, ricochetting off cliff walls. the car finally stops. >> my car is totaled. >> reporter: this massive flood came rushing down so fast because much of the vegetation in this area burned away in a wildfire last year. there's just not much left to hold the soil in place. how much warning did people have? >> they didn't. >> reporter: colorado state trooper says in a surprise mud slide there are things you can do to survive. >> once you're stuck in it, cinch up that seatbelt, roll up the window, turn on the flashers and hold on for the ride. >> reporter: miraculously he and the other drivers all made it out alive. crews are now getting ready for more heavy rains this weekend, hoping that no one else g

he just really did. >> reporter: clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> clayton, our thanks to you. >>> and we're going to turn next here tonight to a shocking polar bear attack. a lawyer from maine on a camping expedition in the north of canada dragged from his tent in the middle of the night by a bear that had broken through an electric fence. tonight, that american is in the hospital and his wife is now thanking the fellow hikers who helped save her husband. here's abc's rob nelson. >> reporter: tonight, a man from maine is in critical but stable condition in a montreal hospital, after being attacked by a polar bear, not pictured here, during a camping trip. matthew dyer was camping inside torngat mountains national park in labrador when the bear tore through an electrified fence and attacked him inside his tent about 1:30 wednesday morning. other campers at the site were eventually able to scare the bear off using flares. dyer was rushed to montreal general hospital by helicopter, where he underwent emergency surgery. the extent of his injuries is still unclear, but the hospital sa

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for "good morning america," clayton sandell. >> so tragic it happened before her son's eyes. thanks for that report. >>> turn now to the outrage over the george zimmerman not guilty verdict still strong one week later. the parents, emotional but determined were joined by protesters who took to city streets nationwide. they are demanding he be prosecuted on civil rights charges. you were here yesterday in new york. >> they are angry. they want self-defense laws redefined. they say the current laws gave george zimmerman permission to kill. >> i am trayvon martin. >> reporter: this morning, trayvon martin's name echoes across every major city from atlanta to chicago to los angeles. protesters taking a stand against george zimmerman's acquittal. in new york saturday, trayvon's mother had big star power by her side, beyoncÉ and jay-z joining the reverend al sharpton at the rally. >> of course we are hurting. of course we are shocked and disappointed. but that means we have to roll you have our sleeves and continue to fight. >> and tracy martin making a promise. >> not only will i

for "good morning america," clayton sandell, dallas. >> so tragic it happened before her son's eyes. our thanks to clayton for that report. >>> we're going to turn now to the outrage over the george zimmerman not guilty verdict still strong one week after the jury's decision. the parents of trayvon martin, emotional, but determined, were joined by protesters who took to city streets nationwide. they are demanding zimmerman be prosecuted on civil rights charges. you were here yesterday in new york. >> they are angry. right now, the protesters want self-definance laws ninance -- laws redefined. they say the current laws gave george zimmerman permission to kill. >> i am. >> all: i am. >> trayvon martin. >> all: trayvon martin. >> reporter: this morning, trayvon martin's name echoes across every major city from atlanta to chicago to los angeles. >> freedom now! >> reporter: protesters taking a stand against george zimmerman's acquittal. in new york saturday, trayvon's mother had big star power by her side, beyoncÉ and jay-z joining the reverend al sharpton at the rally. >> of course we

abc's clayton sandell is in arlington, texas. >> reporter: at six flags over texas the coasters are king. but today, in one corner of the amusement park, the texas giant is quiet. shut down friday night after a woman fell to her death. >> she goes up, like this, and then when it drops to come down that's when it released and she just tumbled. >> the daughter and son-in-law, yelling and screaming, my mother has fallen off. >> reporter: a witness tells the dallas morning news she saw the woman get on the ride. she claims the woman appeared concerned that her safety harness wasn't secured. six flags said in a statement today, we are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident. it would be a disservice to the family to speculate. two years ago, the texas giant stranded riders 14 stories above the ground. safety advocates say this latest accident highlights the patchwork of state laws governing roller coaster operators. >> we need uniform regulations that are applied across the board. we need the same standards, the same inspection guidelines applied to all amusement rides in e

clayton sandel, abc news, wickenburg, arizona. >> in michigan search crews spent hours searching lake erie for a man who is being called a hero. the man jumped into the lake to help an 8-year-old boy that went in the water without a life vest. with the help of a boater he was able to save the boy. the man disappeared. >> back to work in the murder trial of george zimmerman. charged with the 17-year-old trayvon martin. prosecutors tried to wrap up their case wednesday. it is expected that will happen today. then defense attorneys can ask for dismissal of all or some charges against zimmerman. >> when we think of independence day, we often think first responders and soldiers who fight for our freedom. >> there is another kind of warrior that does battles on the streets every day. police officers. in boston last night they found a unique way to honor one of their best. >> a picture of transit officer, richard donohue leading the boston pops. chased down two of the most wanted criminals in the country's history, the boston bombing suspects. he was shot that night and spent two months reco

why she wasn't secured in her seat, and abc's clayton sandell is on the scene. >> reporter: this morning the german company that built the cars for the texas giant is reportedly sending experts to six flags over texas to help unravel a tragic mystery, how rosy esparza fell to her death. her son was on the ride too. >> it was surreal. the seats, the seat restraint was in its normal position but there was nobody in the car. >> reporter: riders are supposed to be held in with a t-shaped lap bar. carmen brown says she heard esparza tell an employee before the ride her lap bar might not be secure. >> she goes up like this and then when it drops to come down and that's when it released and she just tumbled. >> reporter: but with no sign of foul play, determining what happened is up to six flags. in a statement, the company says "we are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process." could esparza's size have played a role? >> she was no bigger than i was. that could have been me. >> reporter: safety experts say the seats are