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CNN Live Today
Firefighters Have Containment Line Around 10 Percent of Fire
Aired July 26, 2002 - 12:35 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: Now, firefighters are waging a battle against -- across -- a battle against time across the West, where more than 30 large wildfires are now burning. The fires, each more than 500 acres, are racing across Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon. is hardest hit with 15 wildfires.
Further south, wildfire threatening groves of ancient sequoias has exploded into a 58,000 acre inferno. The woman accused of starting it is due to appear in court this afternoon. CNN's James Hattori is following the developments there from Kernville, California -- James.
JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Fire officials here say they have had a run of relatively good luck over the past couple of days. They have managed to complete about 10 percent of a containment line around the McNalley fire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI (voice-over): While the McNalley Fire continues to smolder and grow, fire officials say they are making good progress under favorable weather conditions.
JIM PAXON, FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER: 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 downbursts, that could blow fire every direction, and we would be chasing the 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.
ART GRAFFEY, SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST: 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 extinguish all fires, promoting growth of underbrush 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.
GRAFFEY: 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HATTORI: Encouraging news for the sequoias, not so encouraging news for a 45-year-old Bakersfield woman who is in custody in Fresno, California where she will be arraigned, we believe, this morning on charges of starting this fire. She says -- she has told investigators it was an accident, a camp fire that got out of control. She was in an area where camp fires are allowed, but did not have a permit, and that will weigh, we presume, in the U.S. attorney's decision as to what charges will be brought -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And James, the fact that she says this was a accident, that effects the charges too, right?
HATTORI: Absolutely. And one interesting thing is, because she did not have a permit, apparently -- authorities are concerned because when you get a permit, you get information about camp fire safety. So she did not have a permit, she didn't have this information, is that -- make her a little more culpable? We'll see when the charges are actually brought -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: James Hattori, thank you.
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