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CNN Live At Daybreak
Wildfires in Southern California Dangerous to Reporters Also
Aired October 27, 2003 - 06:21 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The wildfires in Southern California have destroyed millions of dollars in property and caused up to 14 deaths. The dangers from the fire also extend to the reporters sent out to bring you the story.
An example, our own Miguel Marquez. He got caught in the middle of a firestorm on Saturday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's an absolute firestorm. It's...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch your equipment. Watch your cameras.
MARQUEZ: The fire is coming at us right now. Fire and flame and dust. Dave, can you just come around the side here? Fire and flame and dust coming around the side of us right now. And this is what happens...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The mini twister, called a firenado, sparked up after firefighters lit a back fire in the area. And we should reiterate that Miguel and the crew and the firefighters in that area are all fine and moved to a safer location, obviously.
Chad Myers joining us now.
Unbelievable.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was.
COLLINS: I mean we know that fires do create their own weather.
MYERS: Sure.
COLLINS: But I've really never seen anything like that.
MYERS: It's all about the updraft, Heidi. It's just almost like a what we call a water spout over warm water, cold air aloft, obviously very hot land down here and the fire -- the firefighter, as he walked by went -- Miguel was, yes, right, look at that. He goes, yes, I know, it's back there. And he just kind of kept walking. It was like it was just nothing for this guy, like he's seen them all the time. Obviously, we don't get them on tape all the time, but they do happen, obviously.
This is rapidly rising air. As that air rushes in to replace that air that's rapidly rising -- and why is it rapidly rising? Well, because it's hot, because it's so hot because of the flame. The air wants to shoot up like a hot air balloon and then that hot air that goes up leaves a space on the ground where there is no air and that air obviously gets sucked in. And that sucked in starts to spin and then it starts to swirl up like a fire whorl, or, like you called it, a firenado.
Dry air coming down the mountains still, some Santa Ana winds. Today very hot along the Los Angeles Basin right on into San Bernardino. We're going to see 90 degrees again today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Also>
Aired October 27, 2003 - 06:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The wildfires in Southern California have destroyed millions of dollars in property and caused up to 14 deaths. The dangers from the fire also extend to the reporters sent out to bring you the story.
An example, our own Miguel Marquez. He got caught in the middle of a firestorm on Saturday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's an absolute firestorm. It's...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch your equipment. Watch your cameras.
MARQUEZ: The fire is coming at us right now. Fire and flame and dust. Dave, can you just come around the side here? Fire and flame and dust coming around the side of us right now. And this is what happens...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The mini twister, called a firenado, sparked up after firefighters lit a back fire in the area. And we should reiterate that Miguel and the crew and the firefighters in that area are all fine and moved to a safer location, obviously.
Chad Myers joining us now.
Unbelievable.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was.
COLLINS: I mean we know that fires do create their own weather.
MYERS: Sure.
COLLINS: But I've really never seen anything like that.
MYERS: It's all about the updraft, Heidi. It's just almost like a what we call a water spout over warm water, cold air aloft, obviously very hot land down here and the fire -- the firefighter, as he walked by went -- Miguel was, yes, right, look at that. He goes, yes, I know, it's back there. And he just kind of kept walking. It was like it was just nothing for this guy, like he's seen them all the time. Obviously, we don't get them on tape all the time, but they do happen, obviously.
This is rapidly rising air. As that air rushes in to replace that air that's rapidly rising -- and why is it rapidly rising? Well, because it's hot, because it's so hot because of the flame. The air wants to shoot up like a hot air balloon and then that hot air that goes up leaves a space on the ground where there is no air and that air obviously gets sucked in. And that sucked in starts to spin and then it starts to swirl up like a fire whorl, or, like you called it, a firenado.
Dry air coming down the mountains still, some Santa Ana winds. Today very hot along the Los Angeles Basin right on into San Bernardino. We're going to see 90 degrees again today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Also>
