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CNN Live At Daybreak

Dry Weather Conditions a Problem in Show Low

Aired June 26, 2002 - 05:27   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: We want to head out West once again. Dry weather conditions in eastern Arizona today could be a critical factor in firefighters' efforts to save the town of Show Low.

Reporter Nicole McGregor of CNN affiliate KPNX joins us from Payson, Arizona with the latest developments -- Nicole, how close is the fire to Show Low now?

NICOLE MCGREGOR, KPNX CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I'm actually on the other side of the fire, which is the Chediski side of the fire. We are in Payson, which is the Payson evacuation center area. At this point they're telling us that the fire is zero percent contained. They hope that that will change some time today.

Firefighters that we talked to overnight said that they were doing some back burning in the area here. They hope to get ahead of the fire, because if it jumps, apparently, to this critical area, which is Route 512, then it will threaten many other communities, such as Christopher Creek.

If that happens, we're going to be in a world of hurt. We're going to be in the same situation that so many other communities have been in. They really want to keep it east of the 512. They said their ideas and what they were doing last night were working perfectly. But if a wind shift happens today, we could be in the same situation of so many other communities.

People here in Payson evacuated are just really on pins and needles, sitting and waiting, trying to get more information and hoping to get home as soon as possible -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You mentioned ideas about how to stop the fire. What are they?

MCGREGOR: They are doing this sort of thing called back burning, which is what they're doing is fighting fire with fire, essentially. So they're actually trying to build these fire lines so that they can burn something before the fire does so they can essentially control it. Because so far, up until this point, they've had absolutely no control of it. And like I said, it's zero percent contained.

If they can gain some kind of ground and basically decide what the fire is going to do before it does it, then they can be ahead of the fire, which is what they hope to do today. COSTELLO: Well, all our best to you.

Thank you, Nicole, for joining us live this morning.

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