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CNN Live At Daybreak

New Jersey Forest Fire Not Yet Contained

Aired June 03, 2002 - 06:21   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the West Coast hasn't cornered the market in forest fires. Out on the East Coast, firefighters in New Jersey are getting a run for their money.

Jeff Rossen from CNN affiliate WABC joins us live from Berkeley Township, New Jersey with the latest on the forest fire there -- is it out?

JEFF ROSSEN, WABC CORRESPONDENT: Not out yet. In fact, still burning, not contained yet. It's been burning now for 16 hours here in Berkeley Township, New Jersey. About 1,300 acres already scorched. When we came inside the fire zone, escorted by police officers and firefighters, we are safe. But we wanted to show you firsthand some of the destruction of these wildfires.

This house was torched on the side. All that's left over here is a swimming pool, as we swing this way, but it gets even worse. Swing on over this way and we have a two-story house, at least what was a two-story house, and this is all that is left: barely the foundation. In fact, even the cinder blocks are beginning to come down right over here.

Firefighters are now beginning to spray it because it is still smoldering. It's been like this for about, as I said, 16 hours. The family inside this house, we want to point out, was evacuated and got out alive before the wildfire even tore through.

But what is so odd about these wildfires, and we see it so often -- John (ph), as we come back over this way -- to give you a little perspective, you can see on the ground here everything is charred. Obviously, it was strong enough and fierce enough to take this house down. But as you look -- and I'm not sure if you can see that far in the distance -- it's greenery. That back yard of the house just next door is just fine, and that is what is so dangerous about these wildfires.

We are in a drought situation here in the Northeast, especially in the New Jersey area. It's been a drought emergency for about a month or two now. Dry conditions and the wind yesterday, strong winds, blew this fire in different directions and firefighters didn't exactly know at what angle to attack it.

Right now we have about 100 homes that were evacuated, but no serious injuries. Only injuries to four firefighters, but, again, they were minor burns. They have been treated and released. And it is amazing when you look at these kinds of pictures exactly how amazing that is that no one was seriously hurt.

Live in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, Jeff Rossen for CNN.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Jeff. That is amazing, just amazing that that could happen. And by the way, if you're headed out to work this morning, the New Jersey Garden State Parkway has reopened. So that should be OK. And the smoke has cleared out enough where you won't have any problem with visibility.

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