Good Morning El Paso: 04.27.15

the death toll continues to rise this morning after a devastating earthquake in nepal. what americans are now doing to help the rescue effort. guests are forced to get rooms elsewhere … after a massive fire breaks out at an eastside hotel. the damage.. now in the millions. and its your voice, your vote. early voting begins today in el paso county. what you need to know before you head out to the polls. get those sweaters out this morning. it’s going to be chilly start to the work week here in the borderland. this is a live look outside this monday morning — courtesy of our abc-7 downtown camera. can we expect any rain like we say yesterday? a very good morning el paso, las cruces, and juarez. i’m stephanie valle. and i’m hillary floren. good morning, everyone. a live look at stormtrack doppler radar is showing… currently around our region… here’s your day planner for today… expect skies, winds and temperatures in the by 8 am, by noon and for your drive home around 5 pm. we’ll talk more about what to expect for the rest of this work week and the weekend ahead coming up in your full forecast. to your voice, your vote now .. early voting begins today in el paso county. el pasoans will vote on city council members, school board of trustees as well as several bond proposals in the ysleta and clint school districts. the general election is saturday, may 9th. for information on early voting locations and hours you can go to our website–kvia dot com. one thing you’ll see on the ballot today is the pay raises for el paso firefighters. of attention– pay raises for el paso firefighters. that’s because the city of el paso and the fire department can not reach an agreement. and not it’s going el paso and the fire department can not reach an agreement. and not it’s going to the voters. good morning el paso’s denise olivas is live at with more ..denise? the city says taxpayers can’t afford what firefighters are asking for. the fire union says the firefighters have sacrificed for the city and want what’s fair. it all hinges on three main points: firefighter pay. health insurance. and whether they should be fired or given a second chance if they test postive for a drug test. on last night’s abc-7 xtra– doctor mark sutter– the city’s chief financial officer argued that firefighters do see an increase in pay for at least nine years. paul thompson of the firefighters association mainatains it doesn’t make up for the pay raises that the fire department has bargained away in the past: “back in 2008 and 200 …2008-9- and 10″ ” doesn’t matter… 5percent increases every year” before you head to the polls– check our our election center at kvia.com. we have posted past debates, stories and polling locations for early voting. if you’d like to meet some of the new faces running for public office –today is your chance. the greater chamber of commerce is hosting a candidate fair at 11:30 this morning. you’ll be able to meet candidates for el paso city council, episd, yisd and sisd board of trustees. the fair will be held at the civic center. new information this morning on that massive motel fire in east el paso… it started around 2:30 yesterday afternoon at the motel 6 on the 13- hundred block of lomaland. the fire department tells us it took nearly 7 hours to put it out! investigators say hired plumbers accidentally started the fire, probably by using torches. they tried to extinguish it, but when it got out of control, they called 9-1-1. 25 units consisting of 74 firefighters responded. the fire department says guests self evacuated before crews began to fight the blaze: ” “the very first step you should do when you have a fire is call 911 first. Then if you have extinguishers you can go ahead and try but the primary is to get out, get out safely.” we’re told one guest from india who was about to move into an apartment — lost everything he had. about 30- percent of the property was damaged, with the estimate at 2-million dollars we’re told all the guests are now at the motel 6 off raynolds. there was another fire yesterday, this one on the west side. a house on the 56- hundred block of saplinas caught fire around noon. fire officials tell abc-7 the blaze damaged 60 percent of the home, with the estimated damage at 150- thousand. no one was inside at the time. if you live in tornillo, your water is now safe to drink. el paso county commissioner vince perez tells us tornillo residents no longer need to boil their water before drinking it. people in the farming community were without water for nearly four days last week when a well broke. the water utility replaced it and restored service on friday. some alarming numbers today regarding std’s in el paso — specifically chlamydia. a new report says cases in the county far exceed statewide and national rates. it was conducted by the robert wood johnson foundation and the university of wisconsin population health institute. the study found there are 600 new cases for every 100-thousand people in el paso. the state average — 488 cases per 100-thousand chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease that can be easily cured. but, if left untreated, it can make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant. to the latest on the earthquake in nepal now. more than three-thousand people are dead. tens of thousands continue to sleep outdoors, afraid of the constant aftershocks. we go now to abc’s susan saulny with the latest.. tens of thousands across nepal are shell-shocked and sleeping in the streets or maksehift tent cities this morning… as the death toll soared pass 3-thousand from the earthquake that ripped across the himalayan nation on saturday. nats – moving survivors from under debris katmandu, nepal’s capital, is now virtually impassable, rescuers and air workers are responding from as far away as virginia. sot- Chuck Ryan, Virginia Task Force “Bringing search capability digging capability to get to people who are entombed in the rubble, extricated from the rubble and handed over to qualified medical care.” on sunday, an aftershock bigger than most earthquakes caused more buildings to collapse, and more panic sot Justin Rowlatt / bbc Reporter “The earth is really moving now Everyone is running through the streets!” authorities warn the worst damage — and higher casualties — might be in the vulnerable mountain villages rescue workers are still struggling to reach. beyond kathmandu, many of nepal’s ancient temples and cultural gems are in ruins. and on mount everest, an urgent rescue response is underway as marooned climbers struggle to stay alive. this illinois woman’s son is among them. sot loretta land, Survivor’s Mother “The structure of the mountai has changed. So the sherpas going up have a path laid out. But that path probably is different now.” the quake dislodged tons of snow, nats – “the ground is shaking!” one o the climber’s on mt everest posted this video of the moment when the earthquake hit. at least 18 people were killed – including three americans: google executive dan fredinburg,filmmake r tom taplin,and doctor marisa eve girawong. an american military plane is on the way to nepal with tons of supplies for relief and teams of search and rescue experts. susan saulny, abc news, washington. now it’s time to take a look at the tx-dot traffic cams… the u-s supreme court is set to consider one of the biggest civil rights issues facing the country today. a look at what could decide the future of same-sex marriage. and bacon lovers in the sun city united for the first ever bacon fest. a look at what was served…. but first — meteorologist krystal klei has your detailed forecast. krystal… and this is abc-7, where news comes first!