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Southern California Fires

Aired October 24, 2007 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Wednesday morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.

California burning, but some relief may be coming. We will check on those Santa Ana winds that have been driving the fires.

COLLINS: They're gone from homes, but are their homes gone from good. We'll talk with one woman out of harm's way but not free from worry.

HARRIS: And tornado in a fire field. It is a fire whirl. We'll explain.

It's Wednesday, October 24th. You are in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: In southern California this morning, hope may be on the horizon. But for thousands, the next several hours will mean everything. More than a dozen wildfires are sweeping across the landscape before mother nature can provide any relief.

More than 1,000 homes have already burned to the ground. Close to a million people are on the run trying to stay one step ahead of the flames. Many have lost everything. Some will suffer that same fate in the next coming hours. Exhausted residents and battle-weary firefighters slog into the fourth day now of a growing crisis.

CNN correspondent are fanned out across the region focusing on the fires, the evacuees, the firefighters, and the volunteers. It is quite a story.

Across southern California, more than 900,000 people have left their homes and many are hunkered down at San Diego's QUALCOMM Stadium, and so is our Kiran Chetry with the very latest from there.

Kiran, how are the evacuees doing? We've been hearing some pretty good stories about them getting what they need.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. I mean when it comes to QUALCOMM and the volunteers here being able to provide for them and offer a little bit of comfort in a very difficult time, that actually is going very well.

You know, unfortunately, these volunteers don't have any control over the type of news that some of these people are receiving. Really it's just indiscriminate whether they find out that they've lost their homes or that their neighborhoods are safe and they can return. But, in the meantime, this has become the makeshift and temporary home for thousands of people.

In fact, we've seen some changes from when we got here at 3:00 in the morning Pacific Time until now. Of course, a lot more activity around the place because people are waking up and coming out. Many people spent the night here covered in blankets on cots. There were others who were just simply in the parking lot, either in their cars or recreational vehicles.

And also with sunup we've been seeing a little bit of ash coming around here that we haven't seen before. They do have masks available for people who are in this area outside of the actual stadium milling around in case they need it, in case they feel the breathing problems are starting to kick in. Right now it's also a little bit colder than it was early in the morning, which is another good thing, of course, for the fire fight. They need the weather to stay cool. They need some of that ocean air to come in and increase the humidity in the firefight.

One person I want to introduce you to right now is Paul Z., as well as his dog Booboo (ph), who's called QUALCOMM home since Tuesday night.

Paul, how are you guys holding up?

PAUL Z., EVACUEE: We're doing fine.

CHETRY: You actually got some news just within the last 30 minutes that you are able to go back to your community. And what did you find out about your house?

PAUL Z.: That it's still there basically.

CHETRY: You're from Spring Valley, right?

PAUL Z.: Yes.

CHETRY: How long was this an uncertain situation for you? When did you guys first leave?

PAUL Z.: We left Tuesday morning at 2:30. Well, Monday morning 2:30 in the morning.

CHETRY: And why did you come here?

PAUL Z.: This was the place to come to. We knew -- I brought my mama here. So we knew that there's a bunch of services and it would be a safe, secure place to be.

CHETRY: Have you found everything that you've need so far?

PAUL Z.: Yes, and more. The people here are just great. The volunteers. We don't know what we would have done without them. CHETRY: And how about old Booboo? I know that there's been countless animals that we've seen here. What have they been providing for the dogs and cats here?

PAUL Z.: Well, they provided Booboo with plenty of dog food and there's plenty of people around here to love her up. So she's doing great, too.

CHETRY: She's certainly been getting a lot of attention. Does she know something's not quite right?

PAUL Z.: Yes. You could tell by how she is basically.

CHETRY: So the good news, Paul, at least, is that you found out your home is safe. You guys are going to be heading back there today.

PAUL Z.: Yes.

CHETRY: All right.

PAUL Z.: Within the next hour.

CHETRY: Within the next hour.

Thanks so much for talking with us.

PAUL Z.: Can I give you a hug on TV?

CHETRY: Of course.

PAUL Z.: Thank you.

CHETRY: Thanks for talking to us, Paul. And we wish you the best.

PAUL Z.: OK.

CHETRY: See you later, Booboo.

So, again, the news is mixed. We talked to a woman about two hours ago who, unfortunately, found that the situation was not that great for her. They found that they had lost their home. We talked to somebody else who found that their home was OK but both of their neighbors, in fact, had their homes burned to the ground. So again, it really is the luck of the draw. This fire, you know, knows no limits. And, of course, it's indiscriminate when it comes to whether or not a neighborhood is lost or a neighborhood is saved.

So we're going to continue to follow the latest here. Volunteers pitching in, doing everything they can for these evacuees.

Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, boy, they certainly are. And that wait has got to be just really be agonizing for people there.

All right. CNN's Kiran Chetry. Kiran, thanks.

HARRIS: All right. Let's get you the latest on what's going on in hard hit San Diego County right now. There's the mayor, Jerry Sanders, in the Office of Emergency Services.

MAYOR JERRY SANDERS, SAN DIEGO: And that's the area of Del Mar Highlands and Cremenal (ph) Valley, south of the San Diego city limits, west of Rancho Santa Fe Farms Road, east of I-5, and north of highway 56. Residents of that area can go back to that area and get back into their houses.

We're also lifting the voluntary evacuation order for Otay Mesa. So there's no evacuation either voluntary or involuntary in the Otay Mesa area.

Scripps Ranch and Del Mar Heights were reopened yesterday and we'll be assessing portions of Rancho Bernardo for the opportunity to allow people to go back into those today. But I have to tell you, structures are still smoking in that area. I know our fire department will be going in there to do the cleanup on any of the smoking structures.

I believe SDG&E has said that they'll work with the city crews to get the gas turned off or turned on, depending on where you're at and make sure electricity is restored. And we appreciate the absolute cooperation that SDG&E has given us. I know they've been fighting throughout the night to save any of the transmission lines that they can.

We'll also have the local assistance center, in conjunction with the county. And that will open as soon as citizens are allowed to go back into Rancho Bernardo. We still are not going to be giving out the location of that until we actually open that center up, until residents start going back.

I want to thank the military. I know Admiral Herring (ph) is here. The Navy has been absolutely wonderful. The Marine Corps has been very supportive. Everything we have asked for, they have given us the second we've asked for it, and we really appreciate all the help that they've given us. And it just goes back into the fact that San Diego's a military town. We're a Navy town. And this has been a huge, cooperative effort between the county and the military and the city. And I appreciate everything that they've done at all.

I know SDG&E is going to talk and it's going to be basically, you've got to conserve power today. We have no choice. More lines are down in the northern part of the county. We have got to do everything as a community that we can to fight this fire. And that means conserving water, I means conserving energy, it means staying off the roads whenever possible. And because of the smoke in the air, a lot of people need to stay indoors as much as they can today.

So thank you.

HARRIS: And there you have it. The mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders, sort of reassessing some areas, giving an update on where things stand in San Diego County. Talked about the situation with I- 5. We'll get to that in just a moment. But also announcing that the voluntary evacuation orders in some of the areas being lifted. There is a reassessment that will need to take place litter today in Rancho Bernardo to determine whether it's safe for residents, or at least in some of those communities, to go back and check on their homes.

Also, a lot of thanks and praise for the Navy and the Marine Corps for all of its assistance. The mayor saying there that whatever was asked of the Navy and the Marines, it was given at the moment it was asked for. So there you have it. The mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders, giving assessment of where thing stand now in hard-hit San Diego County.

COLLINS: Yes, at least a little bit of good news there. But the latest facts and figures to emerge from all of the smoke now. More than 412,000 acres burned. That adds up to 645 square miles. About 1,100 homes destroyed. More than 900,000 people evacuated. Nineteen separate fires burning and at last report three of those are contained.

HARRIS: And just a moment ago, the mayor talked about the situation along that huge interstate, a major interstate, I-5 there, at Camp Pendleton and what's going on there. We can give you a bit of an update. And what you see here is the result of the closure of Interstate 5 in both directions at Camp Pendleton because of heavy smoke from a wildfire on the Marine base.

I-5 was not threatened, we're told, and that the smoke was from a controlled back burn set to contain the wildfire. The back burn was set as a bit of a protective measure and is actually intended to stop wildfires from threatening Interstate 5, as well as to protect some of the assets on the Marine base. But you can see the result of that right now. That closure, boy, we're talking about rush hour in southern California. Interstate 5 closed there at Camp Pendleton and the huge backup.

Let's take a look at that picture again. Just a tremendous backup right now as folks try to figure out an alternate route to get off Interstate 5 and get to where they need to get this morning. But it's a huge situation right now. We will continue to follow those pictures and follow those developments with Interstate 5 closed in both directions and the resulting tremendous backup. Our thanks to our affiliate KGTV for those pictures.

Now, northeast of San Diego, CNN's Sean Callebs is in Spring Valley where firefighters have been trying to take a bit of a breather.

Sean, good to see you.

What is the situation there now?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, we can tell you, dawn rose here not terribly long ago. And it came with a certain degree of optimism. There are no winds to speak of right now. Conditions are very cool. You can see behind me some of those very expensive homes here in Steele Canyon, an area that's been plagued by something known as the Harris Fire.

We can tell you firefighters here yesterday spent a great deal of time doing controlled burns. Those preventative burns to take care of dry vegetation right around these homes. The firefighters call it fuel. So when these flames do come over the ridge behind me, they're not -- hopefully not going to engulf these houses. We've seen them come right up to the homes, but so far they've been protected this morning.

I want to bring in an evacuee, Scott Stigge. He's here with his dog, Tiko (ph), as well.

And, Scott, you've been here now for 48 hours. You live about four miles down the road. Why are you a little more optimistic today than you were the last couple of days?

SCOTT STIGGE, EVACUEE: Well, most of the flames are down right now. And then it seems like they're getting on top of it, plus the winds have calmed down.

CALLEBS: What's it been like here? Now you've been pitching in a lot. But has it been agonizing not knowing how your home is down the road?

STIGGE: Yes, agonizing not knowing mostly. But you meet a lot of people and, you know, everybody's going through different things and, you know.

CALLEBS: Why do you think people in the San Diego area are faring so well? The people who have been evacuated. I spent a lot of time at QUALCOMM yesterday. It seems like people are keeping their spirits up.

STIGGE: It's about the only thing to do, you know.

CALLEBS: Are they used to this before or is it just they've had a lot of support?

STIGGE: Yes, we get a lot of fires. And it seems like they had it a little more together this time, you know, for as many fires as we had going.

CALLEBS: So what about today? Do you hope to find out something? Do you think today could be the day you go home?

STIGGE: I hope I found out something yesterday. But, yes, today I'm real hopeful on that.

CALLEBS: I know that Tiko wants to get back to that area and do some running, right?

STIGGE: Yes, he's ready.

CALLEBS: OK. Scott, thanks very much and good luck to you.

STIGGE: Yes, thank you. CALLEBS: If you can see over this way too, there's some of the firefighters are just doing what they can. These guys have worked 20 hours a day, Tony, and they just try to squeeze in a bit of rest whenever they can. Hopefully these winds stay down today. It could be a calm day. Something these guys certainly need.

Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Sean, do they feel that if the winds stay down, that this could be the day that they could really wrap that area up?

CALLEBS: I don't know if anybody's talking about wrap the area up because what we're looking at is the very top of the ridge. Apparently it's on the other side where the fires were really kicking up yesterday. We hope to get a little break and go over in that area in a bit.

And one quick measure (ph). We talked about this in the last hour. This is also about 20 miles from Mexico. A lot of illegal immigrants make their way into the country over these mountains you see behind me. And what we're told yesterday, there are more than 25 injuries and they think a lot of those were people trying to come into this country.

HARRIS: Wow. So still a lot of work to do today for those firefighters. Sean Callebs for us this morning.

Sean, appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: Want to take a moment now to check again in with Jacqui Jeras who has been watching a variety of things alongside those California wildfires by way of the brush fire and the way that it is fueled and all the things specific to that area and why they are kind of constantly so vulnerable.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, those winds. That's the big thing, guys. Over the next couple of hours today, the advisories, you can see, are in effect here. Just the yellow though.

But remember yesterday? We had orange all over this map because the high wind warnings were in effect. So basically the big difference is, is that the overall wind speed is going to be down. Maybe halved between today and what we saw yesterday. And also notice that the coastal areas aren't in any advised areas any longer.

Here's what the current wind spends are looking like right now. You can see the little arrows. Can you see them here on our little icons where the wind direction is. So it's still predominantly north to northeasterly. We've got 15 miles per hour there in Oxnard. We've got 12 miles per hour in Oceanside. Look at this. San Diego, you're below 10 miles per hour. That's for your sustained wind. But we still are seeing some occasional strong gusts.

Now, this is what we saw through the overnight hours for our peak wind gusts. Not bad. We're down there to 50, 45 miles per hour or so compared with out of this storm's maximum, you know, we had 100-mile- per-hour winds at times with the gusts.

Now high pressure controlling the area. This is what it looked like Monday and Tuesday. Now, today, this high pressure system is weakening and shifting off to the east. What that's doing, it's allowing a cold front to approach.

Now what's going to be happening between today and tomorrow is low pressure develops down here across the southwest and as that front gets closer, it's going to allow those winds to start to change. Onshore flow will begin to develop. Tomorrow it's still going to be weak. Our winds might be a touch variable depending on the timing of this front. But as we progress throughout the weekend, the onshore flow becomes stronger. So that brings all this ocean moisture here into the land area and that is the best news, guys, that we can hear.

HARRIS: That's it right there. OK, Jacqui, thank you.

We'll encourage you to stay with us, obviously, for our continuing coverage of the wildfires ravaging California. Stay with us all day here at CNN. But if you can't, if you can't be in front of your television all day, I understand that, you work, we invite you to check out our online network. This is very good. Cnn.com live. Choose from multiple live feeds or from a wide selection of videos. And that's an important piece here. If you go to cnn.com and talk about the selection of videos, you can actually, in a manner of speaking, program your own -- put your own menu together of things you'd like to see from a wide selection of videos right there. Cnn.com.

COLLINS: Videotaped before evacuating. Now these are the last pictures a family has of their home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't have any insurance on our home, so we don't know where we're going to be living or staying from moment to moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Got to be a very, very frightening situation for many people. No home, no insurance.

HARRIS: Also, they raced from their home, certain it would burn to the ground, and they were shocked when they returned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To see our house was the only one standing in this block.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The only one on the block that was standing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we couldn't believe our eyes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a miracle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it's a miracle because our neighbors gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A couple's good fortune. Friends' tragedy. The story in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And personal stories from the front lines too. California fire victims reach out to one another on cnn.com. We're going to be hearing from some of them in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE TUTUNJIAN, FIRE EVACUEE: I've been in two wars and in leaving our house it was like being in a war zone. The fires were engulfing all over around us. Houses that I've looked at for 10 years have been engulfed in flames.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: President Bush getting the low down on the growing disaster. Federal emergency management officials briefing the president a short time ago. CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House.

Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.

That's right. This morning President Bush did take part in a video teleconference with top Bush administration officials joining him from California. And here in Washington among those attending included Vice President Dick Cheney, as well as the interior secretary, Dirk Kempthorne. Tomorrow, of course, President Bush is heading to California to take a look at the damage for himself.

Now the Bush administration, of course, was sharply criticized in the wake of Hurricane Katrina for the federal government's slow response. So this time around the White House is anxious to send a very different message. Officials want people to know that the government is in touch and responding, they say, to the needs of people in California. Earlier today the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, David Paulison, appeared on CNN's "American Morning."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID PAULISON, FEMA SECRETARY: This is a different organization. This is a new FEMA. I think you see it now. You're going to see us on the ground. The fact that what you see in QUALCOMM is entirely different situation than what you saw at the Superdome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, yesterday President Bush issued an emergency declaration for seven of the affected counties in California. Tomorrow, as I noted, he will be traveling to southern California. And yesterday afternoon, we understand, he had a brief conversation with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger about that trip. Officials here, though, at the White House are not quite ready to announce details of that visit. This hour we should mention, Tony, President Bush is meeting with members of his cabinet and it's very likely that we will hear from President Bush once again once that meeting wraps up.

Tony.

HARRIS: OK. White House correspondent Elaine Quijano for us. Elaine, thank you.

COLLINS: Want to go ahead and take a look at some more of these pictures that we continue to get in here at the CNN NEWSROOM. This new video now, some live pictures coming in. Boy, you can hardly make it out, can you, but that is a whole lot of smoke and a whole lot of flames coming from what's known as the Harris Fire, San Diego County, where at least check more than 72,000 acres have burned.

This is also near Camp Pendleton. We've been talking quite a bit about that and the closure of Interstate 5 in both directions. They are beginning to open that back up. Of course, a lot of traffic there right now. Doing some back burning there, which is a good sign because that means they are trying to contain and control it just a bit.

But, once again, the Harris Fire, that's where these pictures are coming from. Some aerial shots there. Only about 10 percent contained. Again, since last check. And as you know, this situation certainly continues to change very rapidly.

But we want to go ahead and talk with someone now who is coming to us this morning from an area in here, in southern California. They did manage to escape these incredible wildfires, but really don't know if their home is still standing. It has got to be a very agonizing wait.

Good morning to Megan and Robert Norman and their one-year-old little baby, Riley.

My little guy's name is Riley, so I love the name, guys, but hate to see you in the situation that you're in there at QUALCOMM Stadium. Take me back, tell me the story of how you left your home, how you evacuated.

ROBERT NORMAN, VALLEY CENTER EVACUEE: Well, we got the call at about 4:45 a.m. We knew something was going on. We started smelling really thick smoke at about 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., something like that, and we just -- we just got up and got out. We concentrated on his things and tried to get the rest of my family out. They were trying to send us to Valley Center High School, which was closer to the fire than where we were. We decided to come down here because we thought the air would be cleaner for him and support services would be better. And it was the right choice. This is amazing what's going on here.

COLLINS: Yes. And, Megan, as I see you wrapped there in their plaid blanket trying to stay worm, it's got to be a little bit more stressful and frightening when you do have a one-year-old child that you are trying to keep safe in all of this.

MEGAN NORMAN, VALLEY CENTER EVACUEE: Right. I was just trying to keep him out of the smoke so we came here and the air is a lot better. So when we woke up yesterday, we couldn't even breathe.

COLLINS: Really?

M. NORMAN: Yes.

COLLINS: Have you ever been through anything like this at all before?

M. NORMAN: So we just wanted to get . . .

COLLINS: Anything remotely similar?

M. NORMAN: I have, four years ago, when they had the Paradise Mountain Fires. I was living in Escondido at the time, but we still had to leave because the smoke. And we went to Vista for that, stayed in a motel, and this is like happening all over again, but this is worse than then.

COLLINS: Yes. And I know that it's got to be really, really tough. And we have heard the story from many people, but share with me, if you could, Robert, this anxiety and just the not knowing of whether or not you're going to be able to get back into your home.

R. NORMAN: Well, I was just telling Megan, they turned off all the TVs so people could sleep. And I understand that. But I woke up at 4:00 and was searching for some kind of information. And it's just hard to get on the local news. Apparently there's a fire out by Camp Pendleton that's getting all the headlines locally now. So we don't seem to be getting any information. I guess that's not good, but we're pretty sure that the house is safe. It's just unlivable where we were with the smoke. It was just so thick.

M. NORMAN: Yes.

COLLINS: Yes. We have been get . . .

R. NORMAN: He wants his mom.

COLLINS: He wants you, mom. Yes, he says, we love you dad, but mom's better for right now. Well, I am sure that your lives are feeling pretty chaotic right now and the not knowing certainly has got to be the worst part. But you know what . . .

R. NORMAN: Well, what's going on . . .

COLLINS: Go ahead. Go ahead.

R. NORMAN: What's going on here is amazing. And they've made it very comfortable. We pulled up into the parking lot and within five minutes somebody was coming up to us with a shopping cart and saying, do you need baby food, do you need diapers, do you need wipes, do you need anything, formula? And it's just -- I've never seen anything like this. You know, especially for this city, which isn't known for being organized.

COLLINS: Well, right now it seems like everybody is really coming together. We've heard that story many times.

R. NORMAN: Everybody's banding together. It's great.

COLLINS: Yes. And we've also heard how thankful people are, even if you don't know about your home, just to have each other. So that is also very good news for you and your family.

R. NORMAN: Well, if it goes, it goes. We have our son and that's all that matters.

COLLINS: Right. That's right. Well, we wish you the very best of luck to the three of you, Megan, Robert, and Riley Norman.

R. NORMAN: Thank you.

M. NORMAN: Thank you.

COLLINS: Thanks so much for sharing your story with us today.

M. NORMAN: Thanks.

R. NORMAN: Thank you.

HARRIS: And still ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, fleeing the fires and waiting for word. We will talk to an evacuee who has been trying to find out if her home has burned down.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.

Take a look over my shoulder. This is a homeowner's worst nightmare. Coming up, what you need to know about your homeowner's insurance policy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

We are in day four of the Southern California firefight. More than a dozen wild fires continue to devour dry brush and pretty much anything in the way. A major freeway in California, Interstate 5, shut down this morning near Camp Pendleton. Almost a million have been evacuated, the numbers are just astounding. Listen to this, 645 square miles burned, more than 1,400 homes gone. One person killed and scores more injured, and thousands of firefighters, marines, the National Guard, even prison inmates on the front lines. And thanks to them this morning, residents in two San Diego neighborhoods are going back to see what's left.

HARRIS: When disaster strikes, will your insurance policy save you from losing everything? CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis is in Rancho Bernardo, California, one of the areas hit so hard by these fires.

Gerri, good morning to you. Before we get to the tips, boy, take us on a bit of a tour there of that scene behind you.

GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Tony, you got to see this, total devastation. I'm going to step aside here so you can get a look at this house that has been totally demolished by fire. There's still smoke billowing up here, you can see behind me. And it's house after house after house, only the chimneys remain standing.

I'm telling you, this is a sad sight for many people who are just now getting back to their houses and, you know, some people happy. There are a few houses standing, people getting back and finding for the first time ...

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: ...that maybe their house is still here, but some bad news for other people, Tony.

HARRIS: OK, Gerri, let's get to it. What is it that people need to know about their insurance policies?

WILLIS: Well, job No. 1, look, even if you're not one of the million people who have been evacuated from this area and worried about your home today, if you have a homeowner's insurance policy, you want to think about how much coverage you have. Look at your declarations page on your policy. That's going to tell you on the first line how much coverage you have.

Sad news here, Tony, a lot of people are underinsured. You should have a replacement value policy. That's the important thing to know. That's what's going to pay to build something back like you're seeing right here. Cash value policies, they just don't cover it, Tony. They don't do enough ...

HARRIS: Right.

WILLIS: ...to rebuild, refurbish, get you back on your feet.

HARRIS: You know, the devil's in the details on these policies in many cases. What needs to be in black and white? What needs to be in writing, Gerri?

WILLIS: Well, when you have devastation like this, you really got to think documentation. You have to write down -- get estimates from contractors about how much it would cost to rebuild. Details from people you would actually hire. Then, you've got to right down the contents in the house.

Now, this is hard to remember when you're offsite. Fortunately, the California insurance commissioner's office has put a cheat sheet on their Web site to help people find out exactly all those things they want to get reimbursed for. So, that's important, too. And if you're not on site, if you're living in a hotel, maybe your family is eating out in restaurants while this whole devastation gets taken care of, you got to keep records. You want to know how much you spent on that because the average homeowner's insurance policy is going to make you whole.

HARRIS: Yes, and finally, what should people be a bit wary of when it comes to dealing with their insurance company?

WILLIS: Well, sometimes some of the insurers will ask you to sign a release form once you come to some kind of agreement on how much you're going to be paid back. You don't have to do that. And as a matter of fact, you probably don't want to. Look, at the end of the day, you may want to come back and say hey, I need some more money for something else. So don't sign that policy.

Also, make sure you get your own estimates for rebuilding. Get your own appraiser in to help you figure out how much you're due. At the end of the day, you're going to have to live with this solution. Make sure it's one that's satisfies you and makes your family whole and happy. It's a lot of work, but it will pay off.

HARRIS: Well, this is -- yes, it really is. This is why we pay that premium for insurance. This is the day we hope never comes ...

WILLIS: Right.

HARRIS: ...but if it does, we need the insurance company and the policy to protect us.

Gerri Willis for us.

WILLIS: That's right.

HARRIS: Gerri, great to see you. Thank you.

WILLIS: Thank you.

COLLINS: Evacuation traffic jam. CNN i-Reporter captures the congestion as Californians flee the fire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, one of the things we are attempting to do here at CNN as we cover these California wild fires is put you as close as we can on the ground where the fires are devastating these communities and tell the human stories, the human drama as it plays out. Want to get to certainly our people, but also some of the affiliates doing great work in Southern California. Right now, want to show you a piece, a file just a short time ago, by Lena Lewis of our affiliate KUSI. She is east of San Diego.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LENA LEWIS, KUSI REPORTER: Since we've been here getting ready to go live, we've actually watched these flames behind us go down. We are -- we came down the Jamacha Boulevard, took a turn on Rocky Mountain Road, came up here near Lion's Peak. That's what the people out here are telling us this is referred to as, Lion's Peak.

A couple of officers at the bottom of the hill told us just a few minutes ago they have been here since 8:00 last night, and they saw flames come up over this hill. Amazingly, miraculously bypassed those houses up at the top of the hill. There you can see they're still in tact. They were fine. They say they saw the flames coming up over the hill, assumed that they would come straight down the hill, but then they said the winds picked up, shifted and took the flames, as you can see, off to the side there, making a little trail down the hill.

They said that fire crews were in here all night long fighting this fire. They have since left the scene, and as you can see, just a few little hot spots there burning out.

Smoke filling the air. Skies are still pretty dark out here, but the good news is that these flames seem to be dying down.

Of course, as we were driving through this neighborhood, this area, it's pretty much like a ghost town. A lot of folks evacuated. Really nobody up here right now, nobody to talk to except for the officers at the bottom of the hill. But they are there monitoring the area, monitoring the situation, and things are looking OK out here. Not too dangerous, nothing too severe to report, as you can see. As you can see, like I said, the flames seem to be dying down.

Of course, it is still a little windy out here. You can see smoke coming up over the hill there, too. We can't get to the other side of the hill, so we can't really tell you what's going on on that side, but on this side of Lion's Peak, things are looking OK. Dan and Bridget, back to you.

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HARRIS: Again, our effort to put you as close to the scene as we possibly can as we keep our fingers crossed for our friends out in Southern California as they deal with these devastating wildfires. That report from Lena Lewis from our affiliate KUSA. She was just east of San Diego.

You know, the images are dramatic. They're also pretty frightening, and CNN i-Reporters are sending in hundreds of photos and videos. Jeanna Lowry captured her husband, Bill, watering down their neighbor's burning deck. Take a look at this. She said they managed to save the house.

Jose Huerta was among countless motorists caught in evacuation traffic jams in (INAUDIBLE). And he said despite the long wait, people remained courteous, friendly and helpful.

Ominous smoke clouds loom over this neighborhood in Canyon Contry, California. I-Reporter Shie Rozow said the fire raced down the ridge. Soon after he took this shot. He was forced to evacuate twice before the day was over.

And, again, if you are in Southern California, share your pictures of what's happening right now. Send in a CNN i-report. You can show us the flames, how you are protecting your home, and what you and your family are doing to escape all of this potential danger there. There are two ways to send an i-report. On your computer just go to CNN.com and click i-Report, or type ireport@CNN.com into your cell phone. Share your photos, your video with us. And, of course, be careful. Stay out of harm's way.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, personal stories from the front lines. California fire victims reach out to one another at CNN.com. We'll hear from some of them, coming up.

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COLLINS: Quickly we want to look at some more live pictures coming in. This from Santiago Canyon, California, looking at those fires there. And give you a little bit of a brief update about what we know today, the fourth day of the Southern California wildfires. So far there has been one death. There are at least 70 injuries, including 34 firefighters who, as we've been saying all morning long, have been just working their hearts out to try and get control over the situation there. We're up to about 413,000 acres burned. That's about 645 square miles. Nearly 1,100 homes destroyed, and about 900,000, nearly a million people, evacuated. Total active fires now are about 19.

We are getting some new information coming in. We've got containment apparently of three of those, so a little bit of good news and some good news also by way of wind speed. Things going down a little bit, 30 to 40-mile-per-hour winds now. Quite a bit better than yesterday, the situation where they were at hurricane-strength, which was just unbelievable to watch.

HARRIS: People coming together in the middle of a disaster. California fire victims are going online sharing their stories on CNN.com. Melissa Long of CNN.com is here with some of those messages.

And, Melissa, yesterday I was watching for a built bit, and yesterday it was great. There was this online community where folks were essentially still in a bit of a panic, trying to figure out where everyone, loved ones, where are you? Today the story has changed just a bit, hasn't it?

MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're right. Yesterday it was really about people trying to find their loved ones, just to let their loved ones know that they were OK and safe. Today it has become an electronic bulletin board of people talking about their experiences, talking about what they've been through, perhaps cathartic i a way. Really a place to ask about loved ones, again, yesterday, but today to find out more and more about the fires as well.

Let me talk about a couple of the comments we've received today from people talking about the chaos that they've been experiencing. This one from Josh Winestock of Malibu, California. He says, "Today I watched my house and all my belongings burn down to the ground. A lifetime of memories have just been burned into thin air. The heat is just unbearable." Josh says, "I feel like I am as close to hells as one can get. At least my family and I are safe."

This comment from Courtney Meyer of San Diego. She posts this message -- "Cell phones are now restricted to emergency use only. The ash is so thick it gets in your eyes." Courtney says, "We have evacuated from Carmel Valley. There's horrible traffic, and no hotels from Tijuana to Anaheim have vacancies."

Just a couple of the comments. To get to these comments, to read them, to submit your own as well from our main page go the i-Report logo. And while you're there you can find out more about the fires as well.

It's kind of hard to wrap your head around just how vast they are, just how severe they are. If you click on the little red tabs, you can more about the fires. If you click on Malibu right now, exactly, Canyon Fire, you can see it's 8 percent contained. Head south to the border with Mexico. If you click on the Harris Fire, you can see 70,000 acres scorched, 5 percent contained. It's a great interactive feature we have on our Web site as well. Then check out a new feature we have, the daily tracker, right here. It will show you by the colors, the fires that have started over the weekend, the fires that continue to burn today, a real interactive feature, Tony, of our Web site.

And of course don't forget about our i-Report initiative. It is a great opportunity for people to dictate, talk about the news, capture the news in your community, but I always stress, don't ever compromise your safety when you're showing us the news.

HARRIS: I've to mention one other thing. I'm watching yesterday -- I had a couple days off, so it's time to get reimmersed into everything that's going on, and I go to CNN.com yesterday, and I guess for the first time it really hit me, you can actually go on to CNN.com -- and you know this better than I do -- and actually with all of the videos on the sight, you can put together your own little newscast of what's transpired with this fire.

LONG: You can become your own news producer essentially and watch the stories that you're interested in watching. We have live news feeds up from up and down the Southern California coastline. You can watch the live fires without interruption or, of course, you can watch our stories from our correspondents, and we have live interviews just like you do here on the tube.

HARRIS: I know I'm shilling for the company a little bit here, but it was great. It was really helpful.

LONG: I'll pass it on to the troops upstairs.

HARRIS: All right. Melissa, appreciate it. Good to see you.

LONG: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: Thanks.

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HARRIS: Fleeing the fire with families and almost nothing else. Joining me now by phone San Diego evacuee Kathy Lumkong, now with relatives in Orange County, California.

Kathy, good to talk to you this morning. How are you?

KATHY LUMKONG, EVACUEE: Oh, I'm doing good, thank you.

HARRIS: What does that mean? I'm doing good. What does that really mean given what you've been through?

LUMKONG: Well, we've just followed what's going on looking at the computer, and what might bring us joy is not necessarily good for other people, that the fire is moving more north. We're west of the fire, and so when we look today at the computer and we saw that it looked like it was moving more north, you know, we felt some relief, although we have our aunt and uncle in Fallbrook. My sister is in San Marco, family in Spring Valley. So as we look at the map, we're looking at all the places we have family, and I have...

HARRIS: Hey, Kathy, hang on for just a second here. I just want to draw everyone's attention to the picture that they're obviously seeing right now. Santiago Canyon, California.

And, Kathy, we're looking at pictures that you cannot believe how close they are to some of these homes right now, and I know that this is a situation that you are all too familiar with right now. Tell me about what you know about your particular neighborhood and the homes in your neighborhood and, if you would, you know, I'm hedging to the real question here, which is how is your home?

LUMKONG: My home is in Antinedas (ph), in San Diego, and it is about four miles from the fire. I fled to my father's home, which is in Orange County, where there's another set of fires In Santiago canyon. Here we feel safe. We're about 15 miles from fire. There's smoke in the air, but we don't feel directly threatened, and we have not been forced to evacuate. So many people are finding that the place that they evacuate to -- on Monday I had 20 people who had evacuated to my home, and then all of us had to evacuate and find alternative places to evacuate. So all of us are thinking where can we go if we have to evacuate, and really drawing on resources of close friends and family. HARRIS: Hey, Kathy, once you received the order, you round up family obviously. I don't know if you have pets. But what did you take?

LUMKONG: I took -- I only had a short time. I took pictures and my journals and -- journals that I've written to my children and my three kids. They're ages 4, 7, and 8. I had them each grab things that are important, like stuffed animals, blankets, and we were gone within 10 minutes.

HARRIS: Yes. Are you staying strong for the kids?

LUMKONG: Yes, yes. I'm OK. What's most important is our family, and we're here, and that is most important. It's not -- a house is a possession, and it would be devastating if we lost it, but I have my family, and we're healthy, and my kids are healthy, and I really feel like this is a success for the firefighters. They're doing such a great job. I mean, there's only been one or two fatalities. That just shows what a great job San Diego is doing.

HARRIS: Hey, Kathy, the best to you and your family.

LUMKONG: Thank you. Thank you so much.

HARRIS: Sounds like you have a really solid perspective on this. We appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: His neighborhood, one of many that went up in flames. Meet a man who beat back the raging wildfires and saved his home.

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