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CNN Live Today
Fires Spread Across West
Aired June 26, 2002 - 10:05 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: In Arizona now, fire crews say that they have reined in only about 5 percent of the worst wildfire in state history -- and that is actually some good news. The blaze has charred some 375,000 acres and destroyed at least 375 homes, and more lay in its path.
The front line of the fire has closed to less than half a mile from the town of Show Low, which is where we have had correspondents all week.
And our Bill Delaney is there this morning, and he checks in now with the latest live look.
Hello, Bill.
How is it looking there now?
BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, Leon, it is looking better. We have had a good 36 hours here now, as you look at this in retrospect. You know, it's eight days, Leon, since this fire started in the White Mountain Apache Reservation. It wasn't much when it started. No one was much paying attention to it. Now, of course, as you say, the biggest fire in the country by far, more than 370,000 acres.
It's still less than a mile outside town here, but things are looking up, particularly since yesterday, that critical controlled burn to the west of this city of 8,000, this evacuated city of 8,000. That controlled burn of 43,000 acres kept the fire out of here.
Also critical yesterday, you may have seen yesterday, the immense cloud of smoke that descended on us here. That was a good thing. It kept temperatures down, and when temperatures are kept down, that keeps the heat of the fire down.
Now, there are still some dangerous possibilities here, an ember flying off the fire and igniting something to the vulnerable south of city. There could also be a freakish incident like some kind of dry lightning flashing off this storm, this firestorm later today. But at the moment, National Forest Service officials, like Jim Paxon, are keeping score, and they like what they see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIM PAXON, FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER: We are finally on the scoreboard of firefighting. We are 5 percent contained at 373,000 acres, and that's progress, Brian. We are making some progress on the fire, but we are a long way to go yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DELANEY: Thirty thousand people, of course, here still out of their homes, evacuated, many of them for more than a week now living in gymnasiums in the region and waiting anxiously for word as to when they might be able to home. No one expects that to happen for many days yet -- Leon.
HARRIS: Bill, let me ask you, we know President Bush was there yesterday in the region. He was speaking to the people out there and trying to raise their spirits. I was just wondering if you have had a chance to gauge on whether or not that actually was achieved. Did he actually get a chance to -- did he actually raise the spirits of the folks out there living in some of those shelters right now?
DELANEY: Well, you know, we are quite restricted here, Leon. We are in what's called a fire camp, and we're not allowed to go anywhere but the three-minute drive or so to our hotel. We can't sort of launch ourselves out of this area too easily, or even legally, to take the temperature, but certainly, there is a sense here among fire officials, who are here, and all of the firefighters that are very gratified indeed to have seen the president here.
And you have to imagine that for the 30,000 evacuees scattered around this region, it felt good for him to come in, and for him to come as well with the $20 million in emergency relief that he brought to this region, which, of course, is going to be very badly economically hit by all of this -- Leon.
HARRIS: You got it. You got it. Bill Delaney, thank you very much -- take care, and be safe out there. We will check back with you later on, OK?
HARRIS: Now let's go back to another site that we have been covering and where fires have been raging, Colorado. Get this: A new fire there has roared to life. A 100-acre fire is largely dwarfed by the nearby Durango blaze, which is huge, but this newborn threat has already destroyed some buildings, and dozens more lying in its potential path.
We get details on this new situation right now from reporter Keely Chalmers of our affiliate KOAT, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so awful!
KEELY CHALMERS, KOAT REPORTER (voice-over): First came the smoke, then the flames, and then the panic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ollie (ph), are you OK? CHALMERS: In a matter of minutes, the Falls Creek Fire grew from a spark to an inferno, threatening numerous homes below it. Most residents packed up...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just moving. There is no time really to think.
CHALMERS: ... and got out, grabbing whatever they could and running. Others stayed and armed themselves for battle until...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel that heat. I'm out of here.
CHALMERS: ... as residents did what they could to defend their homes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move it!
CHALMERS: Firefighters moved in, battling the flames from both the ground...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep it up, people!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pipeline underneath the ground.
CHALMERS: ... and the sky. They sawed down trees to try to build a break between the flames and the homes, but some couldn't be saved. This fire, like the one across the highway, burned too hot, too much, way too fast.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have six cats locked inside my trailer -- a trailer. It's going to -- a spark hits it, it's going to go up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, there is nothing to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is so sad, to see this happening here. It's just I'm overwhelmed. I don't know what to think.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: That report filed by Keely Chalmers of our affiliate KOAT, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Thank you for that report.
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