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CNN Live At Daybreak

Colorado Firefighters Use Controlled Burn to Slow Fire

Aired June 14, 2002 - 05:33   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: Tired firefighters battling the largest wildfire in Colorado history are getting a little help from cooler temperatures, but the blaze has still spread to nearly 100,000 acres. And the fight to save homes continues.

Rhonda Scholting of our affiliate station KMGH has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RHONDA SCHOLTING, REPORTER, KMGH (voice-over): On the north end of the Hayman fire, a crew of firefighters watch while flames crawl up a steep ridge. This is a controlled burn designed to deprive the real fire of fuel.

(on camera): Firefighters first dug a fire line here and then they lit this side of the ridge on fire. What they want to do is burn up all the available fuel they can to keep the fire from going to those cabins over there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh it's running about seven to 10 miles an hour. Sometimes we're getting gusts up to about 15.

SCHOLTING (voice-over): Just down the road, in the small town of Trumbull...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a north wind -- northeast wind.

SCHOLTING: ... more crews wait and watch while the wind picks up and the smoke keeps building. This crew was from California here to protect the homes and other structures.

JIM STEPHENS, CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTER: Yes, we will try to stick it out as long as we possibly can and defend what's here.

SCHOLTING: And watching from their front porch, Judy (ph) and Glen Soukup, who never left here. Despite the evacuation, they are staying.

GLEN SOUKUP, TRUMBULL RESIDENT: We could always get out. There's -- you know, if it was really necessary. It's just simply not necessary. If one of our lives were in danger we'd get out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That was reporter Rhonda Scholting of our affiliate station KMGH.

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