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CNN Live Today

Wildfires Scorch Colorado

Aired May 06, 2002 - 10:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to turn out attention to a wildfire that's just west of Denver. It's racing towards subdivisions. It has chased people from about 2,400 homes that could lay in the path. Smoke can be seen 26 miles away.

Karlyn Tilley of our Denver affiliate KMGH has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARLYN TILLEY, CNN AFFILIATE KMGH REPORTER (voice-over): The fire has already burned between 200 to 400 acres. It's within about a mile of one of the subdivisions in town. A total of nine subdivisions have already been evacuated. That's about 1,700 homes.

Efforts today will depend heavily on the weather. Southwest winds up to 30 miles per hour are expected, which would direct those fires straight towards the homes that are in danger. FEMA has granted money already, emergency money, to help fight this fire.

Now, one handler has been working all night long on digging fire lines around the homes. They have already requested nine more hot shot crews to enter this area, and those should be on the way today. Air tankers and choppers will also be dropping water from above to aid firefighters in their attack.

And mostly this fire is in the Pike National Forest. Investigators believe at this time that it may have been started by lightening, but that they are still investigating the cause of the fire. Meanwhile, everybody that has been evacuated will stay evacuated. The local high schools here have been closed for the day, and there could be more evacuations throughout the day, depending on what happens with the wind. Of course, very low humidity is not helping firefighters in their attack at all today.

In Conifer, Colorado, Karlyn Tilley, reporting for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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