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CNN Live At Daybreak
California Wildfires: Blame Game
Aired October 29, 2003 - 06:30 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: More ferocious fans of fire and a growing number of fatalities. Death and destruction from the California wildfires rages on: 16 people dead, 2,000 homes burned, more than 600,000 acres charred.
In Simi Valley, families watched in horror as the flames licked to within a mile of a neighborhood before firefighters were able to beat them back. And they saved hundreds of homes by doing that.
In San Diego County, Scripts Ranch, some 1,500 people from the community gathered at a church. At least 350 homes in that area have burned down, and some displaced residents were looking for help and others were offering it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The community is the people, not so much the buildings, and we're definitely going to rebuild. Our house was completely leveled, and we'll just start from scratch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My house got through unscathed, and I have extra rooms to rent out or give out to people who are in need. So, I'm here to just offer my thanks and to offer some services to the people around me that are hurting and really could use the help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My house was saved, but I do know people who lost their homes. So, we're here tonight to just show support and help out in any way we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And as firefighters battle the flames, the blame game has begun, and it's become quite a nasty controversy. Did the state drag its heels in fighting this fire?
Joining us now with that angle, Keith Oppenheim. He's live in the Rim Forest area of California in San Bernardino County.
And tell us about this. Some say that those airplanes that could have dropped water on the fire early on weren't up in the air fast enough.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, Carol, that speaks to the general issue of dealing with forestry, having a lot of timber out there that's dry and could be burned. So, now there is some back-pedaling going on as to whether or not this fire -- or these various fires could have been prevented or minimized if there had been some work done ahead of time.
Let me show you a little bit about where we are now in the San Bernardino Mountains. What you're looking at behind me is a lumber yard that is burning quite hot, as you can see. And this is the point at which fire jumped a highway. Firefighters did a pretty good job across the street to save a business called Sances Village (ph), but, as you can see, the work here is very smoky, hot and hazardous.
In San Bernardino County, crews have been lighting back fires to prevent what's known as the Old Fire from coming too close to homes. That's worked in part, because, as I said, fire did jump the highway. So, the chase continues.
North of Los Angeles, fire is skirting the edge of the heavy- populated San Fernando Valley. And so far, the fire has generally been held back.
In San Diego County, there is danger that two major fires could merge. The historic city of Julian could be destroyed. In fact, that's already happened to this small community of Cuyamaca. Throughout the region, some residents are coping with the reality of what they have lost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at it. There is nothing left. You know, there is nothing left. It's all ash. It's all, you know, pieces of wood, just charred mush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And our house was completely leveled and
we'll just start from scratch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: Now, Carol, with the concerns about the path and the obvious concerns about the present, things look slightly better for the future, because as bad as all of this looks, weather conditions should be improving a little bit. Winds are expected to be lighter, temperatures cooler. So, that should give firefighters an opportunity, at least until Friday, to gain some very needed ground.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: Yes, and we hear, you know, about, what, 10,000 firefighters are battling this fire? And they're becoming exhausted. Do they need help? Will they get more help?
OPPENHEIM: Well, the number I think is actually over 12,000 now, which is an army of people. And I think whenever you have a situation like this, resources are spread thin. And that's because there are so many things going on in the same place, and also because human beings can only do so much in a fire like this. They really need help from the weather, and it appears that's coming.
So, in the next couple of days we really want to see how the balance hopefully shifts towards the firefighters, so they can do some work, which is more meaningful and then creating fire breaks that prevent all of this spreading.
COSTELLO: All right, Keith Oppenheim live from Rim Forest this morning.
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 29, 2003 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: More ferocious fans of fire and a growing number of fatalities. Death and destruction from the California wildfires rages on: 16 people dead, 2,000 homes burned, more than 600,000 acres charred.
In Simi Valley, families watched in horror as the flames licked to within a mile of a neighborhood before firefighters were able to beat them back. And they saved hundreds of homes by doing that.
In San Diego County, Scripts Ranch, some 1,500 people from the community gathered at a church. At least 350 homes in that area have burned down, and some displaced residents were looking for help and others were offering it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The community is the people, not so much the buildings, and we're definitely going to rebuild. Our house was completely leveled, and we'll just start from scratch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My house got through unscathed, and I have extra rooms to rent out or give out to people who are in need. So, I'm here to just offer my thanks and to offer some services to the people around me that are hurting and really could use the help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My house was saved, but I do know people who lost their homes. So, we're here tonight to just show support and help out in any way we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And as firefighters battle the flames, the blame game has begun, and it's become quite a nasty controversy. Did the state drag its heels in fighting this fire?
Joining us now with that angle, Keith Oppenheim. He's live in the Rim Forest area of California in San Bernardino County.
And tell us about this. Some say that those airplanes that could have dropped water on the fire early on weren't up in the air fast enough.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, Carol, that speaks to the general issue of dealing with forestry, having a lot of timber out there that's dry and could be burned. So, now there is some back-pedaling going on as to whether or not this fire -- or these various fires could have been prevented or minimized if there had been some work done ahead of time.
Let me show you a little bit about where we are now in the San Bernardino Mountains. What you're looking at behind me is a lumber yard that is burning quite hot, as you can see. And this is the point at which fire jumped a highway. Firefighters did a pretty good job across the street to save a business called Sances Village (ph), but, as you can see, the work here is very smoky, hot and hazardous.
In San Bernardino County, crews have been lighting back fires to prevent what's known as the Old Fire from coming too close to homes. That's worked in part, because, as I said, fire did jump the highway. So, the chase continues.
North of Los Angeles, fire is skirting the edge of the heavy- populated San Fernando Valley. And so far, the fire has generally been held back.
In San Diego County, there is danger that two major fires could merge. The historic city of Julian could be destroyed. In fact, that's already happened to this small community of Cuyamaca. Throughout the region, some residents are coping with the reality of what they have lost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at it. There is nothing left. You know, there is nothing left. It's all ash. It's all, you know, pieces of wood, just charred mush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And our house was completely leveled and
we'll just start from scratch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: Now, Carol, with the concerns about the path and the obvious concerns about the present, things look slightly better for the future, because as bad as all of this looks, weather conditions should be improving a little bit. Winds are expected to be lighter, temperatures cooler. So, that should give firefighters an opportunity, at least until Friday, to gain some very needed ground.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: Yes, and we hear, you know, about, what, 10,000 firefighters are battling this fire? And they're becoming exhausted. Do they need help? Will they get more help?
OPPENHEIM: Well, the number I think is actually over 12,000 now, which is an army of people. And I think whenever you have a situation like this, resources are spread thin. And that's because there are so many things going on in the same place, and also because human beings can only do so much in a fire like this. They really need help from the weather, and it appears that's coming.
So, in the next couple of days we really want to see how the balance hopefully shifts towards the firefighters, so they can do some work, which is more meaningful and then creating fire breaks that prevent all of this spreading.
COSTELLO: All right, Keith Oppenheim live from Rim Forest this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
