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CNN Live Today

Interview With Rick Barton

Aired May 06, 2002 - 14:05   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Firefighters near Denver, Colorado spending another day battling wind and hot weather as they try to protect hundreds of homes from wildfire there.

Authorities have evacuated 1,700 people from subdivisions near the Pike National Forest.

Rick Barton is a fire information officer for the Rocky Mountain Incidence Management Team and he's joining us now on the phone from Conifer, Colorado, which is about 25 miles southwest of Denver.

Thanks for being with us.

First, Rick, if you could tell us how close they are to getting this under control.

RICK BARTON, ROCKY MTN. INCIDENT MGMT. TEAM: We have absolutely no estimate of containment or control right now. The fire is still moving. The winds have picked up again. The humidity is very low. The temperatures are going to be pretty high again. So no estimate on that yet.

CALLAWAY: 1,700 people evacuated from subdivisions could lose their homes. How does it look?

BARTON: It looks good right now, as far as the homes are concerned. We're not -- we're spending a lot of time and effort with aircraft, heavy helicopters, air tankers, et cetera, to prevent those homes from being destroyed.

There is a single cabin, about one-quarter mile north of the fire, and two other single cabins about one-half mile north of the fire, but the closest subdivision is almost a mile-and-a-half ahead of the fire.

What we did is precaution or encourage evacuation of nine subdivisions.

CALLAWAY: Anyone injured so far?

BARTON: No, very fortunately. I just talked to our safety folks this morning and no one's been injured that we have a report on so far. CALLAWAY: I know that the air tankers had some trouble getting up. There were some issues with the wind and the weather. What does it look like now?

BARTON: I've been listening to them on the radio. They are using the air tankers and the helicopters. So far, so good. But the wind is picking up.

CALLAWAY: You know, I was just in Colorado not too long ago. It was a particularly dry winter there in Colorado. Not a lot of snow there. Has that had an effect or has that aggravated the situation there?

BARTON: Oh, intense effect. We've had way below normal snow pack and moisture. Parts of our state are 14 percent of normal for snow pack. And yes, we've had fires breaking loose every day around the state.

CALLAWAY: Rick Barton, thank you for being with us. Good luck to you.

BARTON: You bet. Thank you.

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