Tom: Hey everyone, I am here in Sicily. The Mediterranean has become the site of a migrant crisis with thousands of people fleeing a number of African and Middle Eastern countries with hopes of making it here. But getting to Europe isn't easy and it can take months to complete. We will have more of that coming up. I am Tom Hanson and Channel One News starts right now.
Azia: And we will have Tom's report in just a bit. But first, I am Azia Celestino with a look at today's top stories. Over in California, parts of that state are in a state of emergency as two massive wildfires rage out of control.
In northern California, a wildfire charred more than 60 square miles in just 12 hours Saturday, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
Male: All of a sudden we turned around the corner and this big plume of smoke and I said it looks like it's in my direction. Down the hill I come, and sure enough, it'smy backyard.
Azia: Three thousand firefighters are in place and more are on the way. Record heat and strong winds have made conditions explosive.The ground is so dry, each flying ember adds to the rapid advance of the flames.
The dangerous conditions have also sparked new evacuations for the state's other large fire. It has been raging for six weeks now and is threatening California's historic giant sequoias.
In both fires, entire towns are being warned, “prepare to leave on a moment's notice.”At least a dozen homes have been destroyed. And for nearby residents, the threat of fire is constant.
Male: Everything is threatened right now, but we're hoping for thebest.
Azia: Much cooler weather next week could finally give firefighters a break.
Next up, Pluto used to be this strange, faraway planetthat even your science books knew very little about. But that is changing fast.
Back in July, the New Horizons spacecraft zipped by Pluto, giving us our best look ever at the ex-planet, which sits on the outskirts of our solar system. And now,NASA has released new images showing the surface of Pluto in even greater and more stunning detail.
The pictures released last week show a wider range of terrains than scientists expected, including mountains, ice patches and smooth plains.And these images are just the very beginning. Ninety-five percent of the data from the New Horizons spacecraft remains on the probe with more images coming over the next year.
And if you guys want to know how fast the spacecraft Horizon travels, visit Channelone.com for our space quiz.
Alright coming up, we are on the ground in Europe, helping you understand the images of a growing humanitarian crisis.
It is being called the worstmigrant crisis since World War II. Hundreds of thousands ofpeople on the move. Their end goal? To get to western European countries like Germany. But many of the migrants and refugees first head to countries like Greece and Italy. That's where we find Tom Hanson on the Mediterranean island of Sicily.
Tom: They are fleeing, often in the middle of the night, escaping the horrors of war by boat, by train, even on foot, willing to die tofind a better life.
Jawan Kamal: It was so hard. Because you're leaving home, you're leaving your family, all your memories behind.
Tom: Sixteen-year old Jawan kamal is one of the more than 380,000 people this year who have crossed the Mediterranean Sea, fleeingwar and terror in the Middle East and Africa, and hoping to make a new home in Europe.
Jawan: Too many bombs, like it's not safe there.
Tom: Like Jawan, half of the migrants are refugees from Syria, a country torn apart from nearly five years of civil war. And the brutality of the terror group ISIS. He says he doesn't remember the last time he felt safe.
Jawan: It's been a long time.
Tom: Most cross the Mediterranean Sea on inflatable rafts. Jawan was one of the lucky ones who made it to Greece.
Jawan: I’m so happy, like I'm safe right now.
Tom: But nearly 3,000 have died trying to cross the Mediterranean.Often times the boats are packed with hundreds of people, with not enough gas to even make it half way and very little food or water.
The boats are run by gangs who chargefor the trip. But with no guarantees they will make it, most hope, even wait, to get rescued by other ships.
When this boat,carrying people from West Africa, arrived in the Italian port of Reggio Calabria, you can see the exhaustion on the faces of the migrants.
How long were you at sea? Four days?
They told me they were tired and hungry after spending days at sea. But most of all, they were just grateful to be alive.
Male: We are thankful for these people who rescued us. We really thank them.
Tom: What was it like when they rescued you, what were you thinking?
Male: We all feel joy and happiness, you know because it's better. We just see our life came back becausepeople were crying, even in the boat. Maybe in 30or one hour time everyone will die.
Tom: Once they take their first step onto European soil, the next step is deciding what Europe does with them. It has created a humanitarian crisis in Europe not seen in the world in 70 years.
Now, this ship is flying a British flag, and it just goes to show that it’s not just Italy being affected, it is all of Europe.
The flood of migrants and refugees has overwhelmed the system, so volunteers are helping to process them. They are tested to make sure they are healthy and not bringing in new diseases. Names, ages, and birthplaces are recorded and they get new shoes to wear.
Right now, these people are being ushered onto a bus and they will be taken to a facility to recover for two to three days. For some of them, the journey will end here, in Italy. But many will continue on to other countries in Europe, traveling hundreds of miles, carrying everything they own.
Mohammed Bazav: We don't sleep, we don't sleep. Look into my eyes, straight. We don't eat, just walking, just walking.
Tom: Mohammed Bazav and his friends walked 12 hours straight from Serbia to finally cross the border with Hungary.But this is Hungary’s solution to the flood of refugees pouring in. A 13 foot fence topped with razor wire, running about 115 miles along its border with Serbia.
Many European countries are concerned that allowing in so many migrants and refugees will cause a huge economic strain. The countries would be forced to provide social services, like healthcare and education, to help support thousands of people. And it is a burden they say they just cannot afford.
Mohammed and his friends ran from the authorities. Hoping to make it another way, he ended up at a train station in Hungary.
Bazav: Other human here, all the people sleep in the street.
Tom: He is trying to make his way to Germany, a country that is opening its doors. Many people were even welcomed as they firstset foot in the country earlier this month.
Germany has agreed to take in 800,000 thousand and estimates it will cost six and half billion dollars to support them the next year alone. After they arrive in Germany they are given a bed for a night or two, before they travel to other parts of country to settle.
After a long train ride, that's where Jawan finally found a home.
Jawan: Yeah new life, new memories, new friends, start all over again.
Tom: It is the dream mosthave, a chance at a normal life.
Jawan: A normal life, well, you have a home, go to school, come back, see your mom, come back with like your mom cooking, yelling at you.
Tom: With worsening conditions in the Middle East and Africa, aid workers expect thousands more to make the journey.
Alright after the break, it is back to the newsroom.
Azia: Alright guys, last week we had a rundown of all the big news stories over the summer.
Arielle: And we asked you to vote for your top pick. So, here it is.
Coming in at third place, you guys voted for women getting a place on the $10 bill. We will keep you posted on who the Treasury Department picks in the next few months.
Nabbing second place was the death of Cecil the lion.And taking first place on our online vote, the top news story of the summer according to you guys, was the Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage.
Emily said, The United States has always been referred to as equal, but we really weren’t. There are still some things that hinder us from being completely free. But this just made us one step closer to reaching our goals.
Robert said, I think gay marriage is most important because it has to deal with everyone in the U.S.
Azia: Thanks for voting guys. All right, have an awesome day!And we will see you right back here tomorrow.
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