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CNN Live At Daybreak
Over 2,000 Homes Saved from Arizona Wildfire
Aired June 28, 2002 - 06:30 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: Firefighters have now turned a corner in their efforts to save an Arizona town from an enormous wildfire. We get a live update now from CNN's Eric Philips, who is in Show Low, Arizona. Eric, they are doing pretty good.
ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol. That's right. Now, more than 417,000 acres have been consumed by this blaze, but firefighters are chipping away at it, making slow but sure gains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, we have doubled our containment today. We are at 10 percent.
PHILIPS (voice-over): That containment is in the Clay Springs- Pinedale-Linden area, where the blaze first began on June 18. The fire still lurks one-half mile from the town of Show Low, but officials are confident that threat to Show Low is subsiding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Evacuees, we need you to know that the worst thing that we could do to you is bring you back in here and then evacuate you again. So bear with us another day or two. We'll get you in as soon as we can.
PHILIPS: The worst of the fire is in the Heber-Overgaard area west of Show Low, so today one-third of the crews and half of the engines around Show Low will be transferred to that region. There are now more than 4,300 men and women working this fire with more on the way. Officials say there is still a lot of work to be done on fire lines.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We still have 92 miles of line to build on this fire. That means we have a heck of a ways to go.
PHILIPS: The little things help keep the firefighters going, like this wall of thanks at the evacuation shelter in Eagar, and this little bunny, who was found and rescued from the flaming Ashfield Forest (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The greatest thing I have done so far is I've saved some trees, and I have saved most of this down (ph), and I feel great that I saved a rabbit today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILIPS: Another cause for celebration, officials say 423 homes have been lost in this fire, but more than 2,000 have been saved.
Live here in Show Low, Arizona, I am Eric Philips -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: And you can't help but think, Eric, once they get the fires out and contained, there is still a lot of work to be done repairing the damage.
PHILIPS: That's right -- lots of work to be done. There are lots of downed power lines, and gas has to be restored to many of these residences. That's why it's taking some time to get the residents back in, but they are working as quickly as possible to return life to normal.
COSTELLO: Our best to them. Thank you -- Eric Philips reporting live from Show Low, Arizona.
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