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CNN Live Today

Bush to Visit Arizona Wildfire Evacuees

Aired June 25, 2002 - 10:01   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour on CNN, showdown at Show Low, and relief from on high. Flames have marched within a half mile of the Arizona town of Show Low. Fire crews are decidedly more optimistic today, though, that they may be able to stop the advance and spare the town, but only if the favorable weather that it there now does hold.

And, looking ahead, President Bush is expected to hand deliver another form of help this morning.

CNN's Charles Molineaux is standing by in Show Low. He has got the details -- good morning, Charles. Well, I should ask you, is it a good one?

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, at this point, a pretty good morning, Leo -- you talk about -- Leon -- you talk about favorable weather, favorable being, of course, a relative term. It is still dry, it is still very warm, or has been getting warm. But the powerful winds have not picked up yet. Right now, we are watching for that smoke plume on the horizon. So far, not a whole lot of activity there, that is fortunate.

We just saw a couple of the spotter planes fly overhead. The Forest Service folks say that for the first time over the past couple of days, they have started to get genuinely optimistic about their chance of getting a handle on the situation, and saving the town of Show Low. Overnight, crews got back out on the fire lines, there is more burning out.

In the Cottonwood Canyon, that is southwest of Show Low, very strategically important, they are trying to close a back door, as they put it, through which a wall of fire might have swept through town. The Forest Service says that if they can hold the line and keep building the line, they say Show Low and the next town southeast should be pretty secure. That's about the best they can promise. But there -- things are looking pretty good on that front. Of course, President Bush is going to be paying a visit here today. He left Washington this morning. He will be arriving within about an hour and a half.

He is going to take an aerial tour of the fire zone, and then go over to Round Valley High, that is a major evacuation center, set up by the Red Cross in Eagar, Arizona. There are four shelters that have been set up at Round Valley High. The folks are camped out under the big football dome, living on the Astroturf on their cots and their sleeping bags, with their belongings, in some cases watching to see if they can see on TV any sign of what has happened to their homes. These are folks that are going to be getting this visit from President Bush. He is going to be talking to them, very probably. These are folks, clearly, who could use a lift.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He shows that he cares about us. And, you know, that makes a difference to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got to do something, personally, to show the world that he is on the ball, and I think he is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: Still, however, we do have this fire knocking at the door of Show Low, it is about a -- less than a half a mile from town. The concern being that even if we don't have this wall of fire which appears at least for the time being, to have been dramatically reduced in likelihood, we could nonetheless have spot fires pop up as embers come flying in, if carried by the winds. That has been a major concern all along. In some cases, embers have been carried from this fire as far as four miles down wind, and setting new fires. The police department here in Show Low is going to be watching for embers falling. The fire department of the city itself will be looking to put out house fires, and work with the Forest Service in terms of rescuing this town. It could be a real touch and go situation over the next couple of days, but the Forest Service says that while they are not out of the woods yet, they are looking at a much improved situation. They are feeling a lot more confident than they have in a while. This fire is still out of control, and containment is close to zero on the fire lines themselves. So, Leo, a pretty touch and go situation, but they are sounding a lot more hopeful.

HARRIS: All right. Well, here is hoping they have good reason to before this day unfolds totally.

MOLINEAUX: Oh, yes.

HARRIS: Charles Molineaux, standing by there in Show Low, thank you very much. Let's move on to get the latest on these evacuations that he was talking about.

We will check in now with reporter Deanne Donnelly. She is with CNN's Tucson affiliate, KGUN, and she is standing by at a shelter in Eagar, that place where the president is going to be visiting a little bit later on this morning -- good morning. What is the situation like there?

DEANNE DONNELLY, KGUN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush is expected to arrive this morning around 9:30 here in Eagar, Arizona. He is expected to go to the high school auditorium, where he will talk with Red Cross volunteers, evacuees, and firefighters.

Around 750 evacuees are eagerly awaiting his arrival this morning, and joining us now is one special young lady, her name is Corina Coffey, who has been specially selected to meet the president. How are you feeling?

CORINA COFFEY, EVACUEE: I feel excited, but I want to ask him if he would help the people that does not have insurance, like us. But it is really thrilling -- you know, it is an honor.

DONNELLY: How were you chosen to meet the president?

RANDY COFFEY, EVACUEE: She has done volunteer work.

DONNELLY: A volunteer person came by and picked you out of the crowd?

C. COFFEY: Yes.

DONNELLY: Are you nervous?

C. COFFEY: No, no. I don't know.

DONNELLY: It is pretty exciting. Not a lot of people get to meet the president, and this is your father, Randy Coffey. Randy, what are you feeling like right now, what are you going through?

R. COFFEY: Just a lot, just -- you know. Just lost my mother on April 22. Didn't get a chance to mourn her passing to brain cancer, and now the fire is threatening our home, which the fire is crossing over, and it is heading towards Lakeside, so -- we don't have insurance. We just paid it off, so we are just worried -- worried about everybody, really, in general. And all the people that don't have insurance.

And -- but yet, we're thankful for, you know, the Red Cross, and just everybody who is caring for the situation, and looking forward for the president to come down and hopefully, I get to meet with him, because once he sees this monster, I think he is going to act a lot -- you know, very quick, and try to stomp this out, because it is really devastating.

DONNELLY: What kind of presidential action do you hope that he takes?

R. COFFEY: Just anything to save people's homes and lives.

DONNELLY: All right. Thank you very much, Randy and Corina, for joining us.

It has been a very tough time for all the evacuees here in Eagar. Many of them have lost their homes, and many of them are just sitting around and waiting, and not really knowing what is going to happen. Later on today, once again, the president should arrive here around 9:30 and hear many more stories like Randy and Corina.

HARRIS: Thanks, Deanne. It is really something to see how this situation does -- it complicates lives in ways that many people just cannot imagine. Deanne Donnelly. Thank you very much. Good luck out there.

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