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CNN Live At Daybreak

Woman Suspected of Starting California Fire Faces Arraignment

Aired July 26, 2002 - 06:23   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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in California this morning a woman accused of accidentally igniting a huge wildfire faces arraignment today. The blaze in the Sequoia National Forest has come within about two miles of some of the world's oldest trees.

CNN's James Hattori is at the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While the McNalley fire continues to smolder and grow, fire officials say they are making good progress under favorable weather conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are making headway. The thing to emphasize here is that nature is very much in control and if we get, let's say we got a thunderstorm up here and we had some down bursts, that could blow fire every direction and we'd be chasing fire again.

HATTORI: So far, more than 58,000 acres have been blackened. Officials say significant containment could still be two or three days away. They continue to put a lot of manpower on the fire's western flank to protect towns and 11 groves of ancient sequoia trees, including these along the Trail Of 100 Giants in the Sequoia National Monument.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are some of the largest and oldest living things on the earth.

HATTORI: The sequoias face increasing risk in part because forest managers routinely extinguished all fires promoting growth of under brush and smaller trees beneath the sequoias. That allows sparks from later fires to jump higher on the giant trees, where they are more susceptible to damage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can survive a low intensity ground fire. But when it gets up into a crown or its leaves, that very likely could kill the tree.

HATTORI: But keeping flames away from the majestic sequoias is a high priority and so far firefighters have managed to do just that.

James Hattori, CNN, Johnsondale, California.

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