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CNN Live Today

Arson Suspect Remains Behind Bars as Firefighters Battle Wildfire

Aired July 01, 2002 - 13:13   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hot, dry weather is fueling more than two dozen wildfires now across North America. In South Dakota, a 6,200-acre fire has forced as many as 15,000 people to evacuate. The fire has destroyed two homes. A raging wildfire in Utah has consumed 5,000 acres near the Wyoming border. Hundreds of people have fled there. So far, no homes have been destroyed. And further north, firefighters in Canada are battling a massive fire advancing towards Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The fire is just miles outside the city of 45,000 people.

Firefighters are reigning in the massive 463,000-acre wildfire in Eastern Arizona. That fire is at least 45 percent contained now. The person accused of starting it remains behind bars, though.

And our David Mattingly joins us now from Pinedale with the latest on the fire and that arrest -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra. A good day so far for the thousands of firefighters on the frontline of the Rodeo- Chediski fire. Today, authorities report 45 percent containment. That is great progress considering that just one week ago, there was only 5 percent containment. The fire continues to burn, but confidence is high that firefighters are soon -- will be able to turn the corner.

Twenty-nine-year-old Leonard Gregg remains in jail, meanwhile. He is accused of deliberately setting the Rodeo fire in order to find work as a part-time federal firefighter. Preliminary hearings have been scheduled for Wednesday. Now, the possibility that a firefighter, even a part-time one, started this is not sitting well with the hundreds of people who lost their homes. These pictures from the community of Pinedale, where 40 homes were lost in the district over this course of this fire, including the local fire station.

And while the firefighters -- fire station -- excuse me -- burned, volunteers battled flames and with a little help from the wind, they saved 140 homes. People began returning to the Pinedale area over the weekend. Unfortunately, the house you see behind us was not one of the homes that survived. Now, to give you an idea of what it looked like before, I am told that there was a really nice, beautiful wooden deck in front, and this was a three-story house with a large alpine roof on the top. Of course, it doesn't look like anything like that now. Just to give you an idea of what kind of destruction this fire passed out -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes, David, brings home the reality. David Mattingly. Thank you very much.

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