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CNN Live Today
Interview with Sue Exline
Aired July 26, 2002 - 11:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's move to the west now where the wildfire in California is threatening the giant sequoia trees. As firefighters work to contain the blaze, the woman who is suspected of accidentally starting it goes to court today.
Our James Hattori is live. He is in Kernville, California. He joins us with the latest -- James, good morning.
JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. As we've been reporting, firefighters are somewhat optimistic about the way things are going. So far, the fire has charred about 58,000 and a half acres, about 90 square miles or so. The containment line, about 10 percent complete now, and still progress -- more progress expected today. With us right now is Sue Exline, who is a public information officer with the Sequoia National Forest here.
Let me show you this headline here first. We showed it earlier. It says "Fire Spares Giants," one of the Bakersfield papers saying that. Is that a little premature yet?
SUE EXLINE, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST: Well, I think we're cautiously optimistic that we have stopped the spread of this fire any closer to the giant sequoia groves. Firefighters have been working aggressively to put in fire lines, and after today we hope to have all of that fire line completed, and we can feel more comfortable about saying that the threat to those giant sequoias is diminished.
HATTORI: And you're talking about on the western flank where there are also some residential communities as well as these sequoia groves?
EXLINE: Right. You know, in any type of firefighting strategy, you always try to put your efforts where the largest threats are, and our threats have been the giant sequoia groves and that community of Ponderosa.
HATTORI: In other areas, the fire continues to burn in somewhat inaccessible areas, and so you are going to lose some more acreage.
EXLINE: Well, the fire will grow on several other flanks of this fire. We have chosen to put our firefighting efforts around those areas where there are threats. Once we diminish that threat, we will move those firefighting resources and begin to tackle those other areas.
HATTORI: Can you look ahead for the next couple of days, maybe even weeks? I mean, is this likely to go on that long?
EXLINE: Well, you know, it's anybody's guess at this point. Weather is contributed here, and it is helping the firefighters. We've had increased humidities, and we will just have to see how that holds the next couple of days.
HATTORI: And in terms of the sequoias, do you think the next couple of days will be critical? If the weather holds, you are going to be feeling pretty good about it?
EXLINE: I think the next two days, the threat to those giant sequoias will have diminished enough that we can begin to put our efforts in other areas on this fire.
HATTORI: OK. Sue Exline, public information officer with the Sequoia National Forest joining us.
Daryn, that's the latest. Day six of this fire. We will try and be out on the fire lines -- they are also -- they will be out setting backfires to clear more of that area near the populated areas and near those sequoia groves, and should be some interesting pictures. We will try and get those back for you later on today -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Quickly, before we let you go, the woman who is facing federal charges, claiming that it was an accident, but accident or not, there's a huge problem going on and she's in serious legal trouble. What's the latest on that?
HATTORI: Well, the latest is, she was moved to Fresno, will be appearing in a federal court there later this morning, we believe. The issue is, to what extent will she be held liable or culpable. She has told investigators that it was an accident. She was burning -- apparently roasting hot dogs at a campfire Sunday afternoon when it got out of control. She at one point ran in for help, and then ran away apparently. So is that -- was it an intentional fire? Apparently not. Was it accidental? She says so. What the U.S. attorney decides to file in terms of charges we'll have to see later on in court.
KAGAN: James Hattori in Kernville. I believe that's the Kern River flowing behind you.
HATTORI: Yes it is, very lovely this morning. And fisherman trying their luck as well.
KAGAN: Good luck to them. I love that part of the country, did a lot of camping and stuff around there when I was a little girl -- James Hattori, thank you so much.
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