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CNN Live Today

FEMA Says Inferno Southwest of Denver Worst Wildfire He's Ever Seen

Aired June 12, 2002 - 12:01   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: First this hour, though, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says the inferno southwest of Denver is the worst wildfire he has ever seen. FEMA Chief Joe Allbaugh and Governor Bill Owens are to brief reporters this hour on efforts to contain the state's eight major fires.

Today, officials are doubling the fire-fighting force for the blaze on Denver's outskirts. And CNN's John Zarrella is in Castle Rock, Colorado, to bring us the latest from there -- hi, John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

That's exactly right. Efforts are underway to bring in more firefighters as quickly as they possibly can to help contain this blaze. I will tell you where we are.

We're in Douglas County, which is one of the hardest hit counties. And here behind me is the command post. What they've done is, because of the enormity of the fire, the fairgrounds here has been turned into a command post. And they've actually split the responsibilities for handling the fire duties into two command postpones: this one, and another command post further to the south, just because this Hayman fire is 87,000 acres.

And now what I want to give you a look at, as we swing around, is in the distance -- and you really can't see it from this vantage point, but about 15 miles to the southwest in the distance is where those fires are actually burning. Now the reason that they are facing these terrible, terrible fires -- in all, 150,000 acres burned so far in Colorado -- is because of perhaps the worst drought in the state's history.

The lands have been just absolutely parched here for long, long periods of time; no real substantial rainfall. We were talking to someone just the other day who said, you know, the rain that they were expecting to get just yesterday actually veered around and went to the north. So they just can't get a break.

Now, what they are doing now to try to contain this Hayman fire -- and they got a little bit of good news yesterday, because only 11,000 acres burned, and it actually burned back on itself with a wind shift which blew the fire back on itself further to the south. What they're doing within the next 24 to 48 hours, getting 16 to 1,800 additional firefighters from wherever they can around the country to come in here and help fight just the Hayman fire alone.

Another 20 or so helicopters they've asked for. Four of them are either here or on the way. And they are bringing in even additional teams beyond that as necessary if they can get them.

Evacuations in several areas, but what we are told is that -- by the Red Cross, is that while hundreds of people have been going to the Red Cross shelters, only a hundred people spent the night at the Red Cross shelters, the five that are opened. The others are all leaving, going to stay with friends and family and filling up all of the hotels that line this particular area of the outskirts of Denver.

Now to get a real perspective on what these fires look like, the space shuttle Endeavor, as we know, is flying overhead, and as it circles the earth every 90 minutes or so, it's getting a good view when it flies over this area of what the fires look like. Huge smoke just covering much of this part of the state of Colorado and other portions of Colorado. Because, again, there are about eight fires burning here.

So good day yesterday. Hoping today that they will get more relief from the weather. Humidity is coming up, temperature is staying down in the low 80s. So, Kyra, they are hoping against hope that they can keep the fires from progressing into the suburbs of Denver, again, because of the wind shift. Those areas have at least been spared for the time being -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Our John Zarrella with the latest there from Colorado. Thank you.

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