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CNN Live At Daybreak
Death Toll in California Wildfires Rises to 15
Aired October 28, 2003 - 06:01 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 death toll has now risen to 15. The number of homes destroyed and acres burned also going up. Thousands of California firefighters are battling the state's worst wildfires in years. Conditions improved slightly in Simi Valley overnight, though. Weather permitted, planes dropping flame retardants will return to the skies again this morning.
In San Diego County alone, more than a quarter-million acres have burned. Schools across most of the county will be closed for a second day today.
Residents of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Porter Ranch (ph) were alerted they may have to evacuate as well. It is the first such warning for that city.
We have correspondents on the front lines of the California wildfires. We begin our report from Simi Valley, where residents are praying for a change in the weather.
Here's our Martin Savidge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is another difficult and nervous night here in the wildfire front lines in southern California -- fires that have now reached historic consequences. The flames are stretching from where we are in Simi Valley, 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles, all the way down to the border with Mexico. The winds have died down somewhat, but the fire continues to spread.
Five hundred square miles have now gone up in smoke, along with close to a thousand homes.
Here in the Simi Valley area, there was an important barrier that was breached. That was Highway 118. It runs east and west in Ventura County. The flames have now dipped south of that, and for the first time that forced evacuations on the outskirts of the city of Los Angeles itself.
Devore, California, another major blaze there 50 miles to the east of Los Angeles. Firefighters once again battled another losing day against nature's blowtorch -- that being the Santa Ana winds. Residents tried to fight back the flames using garden hoses.
But to the south, it is where the flames have been deadliest and most destructive, San Diego and San Diego County. There are concerns tonight that there are three blazes that have been burning down there could combine into one mega-blaze.
The largest fire so far had been called the Cedar Fire. It has claimed at least nine lives. The death toll, though, in the state of California continues to go up, as do the number of firefighters that are trying to battle the blazes, said to be about 9,000.
Now, the governor of California has called out the National Guard to try to render its assistance where it can. President Bush has declared a large part of this region now eligible for disaster aid.
But the biggest relief for residents will come in a change of the weather. That's expect mid-week. In the meantime, there is another day ahead.
Martin Savidge, CNN, Simi Valley, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: More than 1,100 homes have now been destroyed by the wildfires. CNN's Frank Buckley is in Devore, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More than 500 homes were destroyed in and around San Bernardino, and perhaps that number becomes a little more meaningful when you consider just one house.
We want to show you one such house, this one here. This is where Linda Kennistan (ph) lived, and for 25 years she had 1,500 square feet, and she had a lifetime of memories inside. She was too distraught to talk about it, but here's what her daughter had to say.
AMY REESE, RESIDENT: Oh, it's mixed feelings. Maybe it hasn't set in. I mean -- I don't know. What do you say? It is devastating. I mean, I don't live there now, but my mom does, and she's going to have to start all over and rebuild. It's an inconvenience.
BUCKLEY: There are more than 4,000 firefighters on the front lines here in this region doing their best to attack this fire from the air and on the ground. They are only able to do that when Mother Nature allows, when the winds die down.
I'm Frank Buckley, CNN, in Devore, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Hoping to see more of that air attack today, depending on those winds.
But some of the most severe higher damage is in San Diego County, where officials have to go back in history to find a comparable event.
CNN's David Mattingly is in San Diego.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a deadly and devastating weekend, they are being called the worst brush fires in San Diego since 1970. Eleven people were killed on Sunday in two separate fires. One of them roared through one particular neighborhood, wiping out 180 homes.
The Chargers-Dolphins Monday night football game was moved at the mayor's request to Arizona. That's because San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium was turned into an evacuation center. Many people ordered out of their homes spent the night in the stadium's parking lot. They are now being encouraged to go to a number of shelters that have been set up, so that they will be able to at least get out of the smoky air that is now blanketing the city.
California Governor Gray Davis announced that more help is on the way to San Diego County in the form of more firefighters and more equipment. Everyone here hoping that translates into less property damage, as these fires continue to burn.
David Mattingly, CNN, San Diego, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired October 28, 2003 - 06:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The death toll has now risen to 15. The number of homes destroyed and acres burned also going up. Thousands of California firefighters are battling the state's worst wildfires in years. Conditions improved slightly in Simi Valley overnight, though. Weather permitted, planes dropping flame retardants will return to the skies again this morning.
In San Diego County alone, more than a quarter-million acres have burned. Schools across most of the county will be closed for a second day today.
Residents of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Porter Ranch (ph) were alerted they may have to evacuate as well. It is the first such warning for that city.
We have correspondents on the front lines of the California wildfires. We begin our report from Simi Valley, where residents are praying for a change in the weather.
Here's our Martin Savidge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is another difficult and nervous night here in the wildfire front lines in southern California -- fires that have now reached historic consequences. The flames are stretching from where we are in Simi Valley, 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles, all the way down to the border with Mexico. The winds have died down somewhat, but the fire continues to spread.
Five hundred square miles have now gone up in smoke, along with close to a thousand homes.
Here in the Simi Valley area, there was an important barrier that was breached. That was Highway 118. It runs east and west in Ventura County. The flames have now dipped south of that, and for the first time that forced evacuations on the outskirts of the city of Los Angeles itself.
Devore, California, another major blaze there 50 miles to the east of Los Angeles. Firefighters once again battled another losing day against nature's blowtorch -- that being the Santa Ana winds. Residents tried to fight back the flames using garden hoses.
But to the south, it is where the flames have been deadliest and most destructive, San Diego and San Diego County. There are concerns tonight that there are three blazes that have been burning down there could combine into one mega-blaze.
The largest fire so far had been called the Cedar Fire. It has claimed at least nine lives. The death toll, though, in the state of California continues to go up, as do the number of firefighters that are trying to battle the blazes, said to be about 9,000.
Now, the governor of California has called out the National Guard to try to render its assistance where it can. President Bush has declared a large part of this region now eligible for disaster aid.
But the biggest relief for residents will come in a change of the weather. That's expect mid-week. In the meantime, there is another day ahead.
Martin Savidge, CNN, Simi Valley, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: More than 1,100 homes have now been destroyed by the wildfires. CNN's Frank Buckley is in Devore, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More than 500 homes were destroyed in and around San Bernardino, and perhaps that number becomes a little more meaningful when you consider just one house.
We want to show you one such house, this one here. This is where Linda Kennistan (ph) lived, and for 25 years she had 1,500 square feet, and she had a lifetime of memories inside. She was too distraught to talk about it, but here's what her daughter had to say.
AMY REESE, RESIDENT: Oh, it's mixed feelings. Maybe it hasn't set in. I mean -- I don't know. What do you say? It is devastating. I mean, I don't live there now, but my mom does, and she's going to have to start all over and rebuild. It's an inconvenience.
BUCKLEY: There are more than 4,000 firefighters on the front lines here in this region doing their best to attack this fire from the air and on the ground. They are only able to do that when Mother Nature allows, when the winds die down.
I'm Frank Buckley, CNN, in Devore, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Hoping to see more of that air attack today, depending on those winds.
But some of the most severe higher damage is in San Diego County, where officials have to go back in history to find a comparable event.
CNN's David Mattingly is in San Diego.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a deadly and devastating weekend, they are being called the worst brush fires in San Diego since 1970. Eleven people were killed on Sunday in two separate fires. One of them roared through one particular neighborhood, wiping out 180 homes.
The Chargers-Dolphins Monday night football game was moved at the mayor's request to Arizona. That's because San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium was turned into an evacuation center. Many people ordered out of their homes spent the night in the stadium's parking lot. They are now being encouraged to go to a number of shelters that have been set up, so that they will be able to at least get out of the smoky air that is now blanketing the city.
California Governor Gray Davis announced that more help is on the way to San Diego County in the form of more firefighters and more equipment. Everyone here hoping that translates into less property damage, as these fires continue to burn.
David Mattingly, CNN, San Diego, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
