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CNN Live Today

Firefighters in California Trying Best to Keep Forest Fire From Spreading

Aired July 26, 2002 - 13:08   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: Firefighters in California are trying their best today to keep a forest fire from spreading toward some ancient sequoia trees. Within the hour, a woman accused of accidentally causing that blaze is due in court.

CNN's James Hattori has more for us from Kernville -- James.

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Again, hello.

I don't know if you can see behind me. There's a bit of haze and smoke in the sky over Kernville and over this valley. Humidity is up, and fire officials say that's good news. It keeps the flames down, and makes them -- or allows them to continue to make progress battling the McNally blaze here in the Sequoia National Forest.

We have some updated information now. The blaze has blackened about 60,000 acres. That's more than about 90 square miles in and around the sequoia national forest. Fire crews have established 10 percent of a containment line, mostly on the Western flank of the blaze. That's to protect towns and the groves of giant sequoia trees that are treasured by the people here and across the country. The fire continues to expand in other directions. Officials say, that can't be helped.

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SUE EXLINE, FIRE INFO. OFFICER, U.S. FOREST SERVICE: In any type of firefighter tactics you make choices where to put the resources. We have chose to put most of our resources to defend the giant sequoia groves in that community. Now that the fire has two other active flanks on it, and as soon as that threat diminishes around the giant sequoia groves, we will begin to move those resources and begin to aggressively attack the other parts of the fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HATTORI: Now, sequoias, including these from the trail of 100 giants that we took a look at yesterday have been a priority from the start. The firefighter's strategy is to continue building containment lines to protect the sequoias in the residential areas perhaps for a couple of more days, until they feel pretty secure that those zones are going to be safe. Now to get back to the woman who is standing accused of starting this fire Sunday afternoon. She is due in court -- federal court in Fresno, California later this morning, perhaps within the hour. The question is, what charges will be filed against her. The U.S. attorney will make that decision at that time. She says -- she has told investigators, she started it accidentally when campfire got out of control -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: James Hattori, thank you.

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