This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz Ballard.

Good evening. We begin with a wildfire erupting overnight.

Residents forced to flee their homes.

Firefighters now battling to contain it.

But this isn't happening out west.

It's happening on the East Coast in Reading, Pennsylvania.

This is the scene there today, with helicopters dumping water

from above and a race to stop the fire from spreading. This was the scene in the heart of

Brooklyn overnight. Yes, Brooklyn. Part of a popular park on fire as a brushfire spread.

Right now, there are fires raging in New Jersey and in Connecticut. All of it

traced back to this right here, a brutal drought that's on pace to become one of the worst ever.

We begin tonight with George Solis on the fire lines in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Tonight, raging wildfires throughout the northeast have transformed vibrant fall

scenery into hellish landscapes.

Trees and brush burning going up the hill rapidly.

In Reading, Pennsylvania, an overnight inferno of about 170 acres in these mountains

prompting the temporary evacuation of about 100 homes.

They said that we have to leave because it's for our safety. It's getting too close to our house.

Even with the winds dying down, hot spots like these are still a major concern.

Firefighters heavily dousing these areas with plenty of water.

Fire officials now hoping to catch a break from Mother Nature.

You know Mother Nature. It doesn't always cooperate or she doesn't always cooperate with what we need all the time.

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