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American Morning
Colorado Evacuees Still Waiting to Hear Fate of Homes
Aired June 14, 2002 - 08:02 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: "Up Front" this morning, firefighters in Colorado appear to be turning the tide, at least for the time being, against the biggest wildfire in the state's history. The largest of the fires has consumed nearly 100,000 acres. But lighter winds and cooler temperatures are helping fire fighters a little in trying to contain the blaze.
John Zarrella joins us from Castle Rock, Colorado with more -- are they really getting much of a break now? Good morning.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula. Good morning. Yes, yesterday was an absolutely great day for them, their first really good day. They've said they've had the chance to take the offensive in the northern half of the firefighting zone. Five hundred firefighters on the scene, really digging in. The southern half, a thousand firefighters digging in and working there.
The North, they're making really good progress. In the South, it's still very uncertain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (on camera): In a state abundant with natural attractions, these days a simple bulletin board on the side of the road gets a lot of attention.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's here. That is Lake George and this is where it's moving, right?
ZARRELLA: The southern edge of the Hayman fire is just north of here, just outside the town of Florissant. Local folks with worry written in their faces gather here to check the periodically updated fire boundary map posted on the board.
KATE VEIHL, RESIDENT: We'll be fine (ph).
ZARRELLA: Kate Veihl's home in Guffey is still safe outside the line.
VEIHL: Everybody is being really cautious, you know, just trying to say, need a little help here from Mother Nature.
ZARRELLA: Just up the road at what used to be a scenic vista, people stop to watch which way the wind is blowing -- the fire. Their homes sit off in the distance -- maybe. Evacuated for days now, they can't get close enough to find out.
(on camera): The southern part of this fire is lurking just beyond that thick smoke and haze, just over the mountain ridges in the distance.
And this here is Highway 24, a main East-West artery. Evacuees are using this route to get out of town, to get away from the fire. And the people here say that should the fire jump Highway 24 and head south again, there is very little that can stop it.
(voice-over): The Red Cross shelter in Lake George sits on what is still the safe side of Highway 24. Only a few evacuees are staying here. Most, like Les and Anna Ezell, are with friends. They just drop in to check on the latest news of the fire. They have no idea whether their home is still standing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if, like I said, we dwell on it, I mean, we can get pretty emotional about it.
ZARRELLA (on camera): But it's hard not to, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's hard not to. It's everything I've got. It's everything I've worked for.
ANNA EZELL, EVACUEE: It is what it is. And we've been through all different stages of letting it go, and -- we could make ourselves sick with worry. So it's going to happen or not.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): For Les and Anna, the toughest part is not knowing how long it will be before they'll be allowed to go home and see what's left.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: One more good day of weather forecast here of cooler temperatures, a little bit higher humidity is another shot for the firefighters to really get a handle on the blaze. For the people that are evacuated, Paula, still that tremendous frustration not knowing when they'll be able to go home -- Paula.
ZAHN: Well, a lot of waiting going on there. John Zarrella, thanks for that report.
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