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Arson Suspected in California Fires; President Bush Visits Southern California

Aired October 25, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips on assignment.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: It is day five of the big wildfires in Southern California. And what we know right now.

President Bush is getting a close-up look at some of the devastation, touring hard-hit neighborhoods by helicopter and on the ground. We expect to hear from him soon live from Escondido.

The death toll directly related to the fires has climbed to at least three. Two bodies have been found in the burned-out rubble of a home in Poway in San Diego County. At least two of the fires are believed to have been started by arsonists. Investigations are under way.

And a $120,000 reward is in place there. We're expecting a briefing from the ATF soon.

The flames have scorched nearly half-a-million acres. That's roughly half the side of Rhode Island. Today, a break in the Santa Ana winds is offering firefighters their first hope in days and they're reporting some progress.

The bodies of two more fire victims have been found in a burned- out home in San Diego County.

CNN's John King reports from Poway, California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The remarkable story of these wildfires is that only three people so far confirmed dead directly caused by the heat of these flames.

We sadly are at the site of two of those deaths. And we're told from the San Diego police report -- we're in Poway -- it's an unincorporated area just outside of San Diego -- that neighbors warned two people living on this property to flee the house. It was under mandatory evacuation. The Witch fire was approaching. And these two people apparently decided they were going to stay here and wait it out. We're at the base of the hill of the property. The residence is actually up here to my left, but from the police tape and the police report, the bodies were found down here.

This is a garage structure you see behind me, tool chests, a safe back there. The property is scattered, some vintage M.G.s and other used cars, some sort of a repair work or restoration work going on, on this property. Police say they initially came here after the Witch Hill fire. A cursory review of the rubble, they found nothing. But they came back again last night after a missing persons report was filed. One of the bodies was found late last evening.

The search continued. An additional body found just after midnight. The two bodies, Don, we're told, were taken away by the medical examiner's office. The names have not been released by the San Diego Police Department as yet, pending notification of the next of kin, and the investigation, the police report says, is continuing.

If you walk around this site, you can see the intense heat, this truck here completely burned out. The inside is completely gutted. Everything back there except for the hard steel items, like the safe, like the tool chest, completely burned. More vehicles up on the road molt -- and melted into the lava. Some of the cars melted, the property completely destroyed.

So, when the fire came rolling down these hills, it did so with intense heat. And the two people who were on this property who had decided to ride it out, their families now being notified that their bodies were discovered in the past 24 hours.

We're in a very remote area through the hills down through. And as we drove in, you could just see it almost looks like a moonscape. The vegetation has been devastated on one side of the road. Strikingly, on the other side, untouched. You see green. There's a Christmas tree farm down there. You see the green trees, some of them put on their side obviously by the owners before they evacuated.

But you see the random nature of this fire, some properties unscathed, others destroyed. And you can also tell by looking at the ground, at the buildings, at the trees, and what is left of the shells of these vehicles, how intense the heat was when the fired roared through.

And again we are told from the police report that the two people living on this property were warned by neighbors to get out. They did not take that advice and they stayed here. And they are two of the three people now, Don, confirmed dead because of the intensity of these wildfires.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And this update now applying to San Diego County now, which is exactly where Poway is, but all residential neighborhoods we understand from the San Diego city government offices now have been reopened. So, all those folks who have fled their homes there in the San Diego county area are now allowed to return to see and hope that their properties are there.

An update now on a story we told you about earlier. A helicopter has crashed in wildfire-scorched San Diego County. Four people were on board. And all were taken to hospitals. And we're told that their injuries are minor. That's good news. FAA officials tell us the helicopter went down near Poway. And that's south of the Rancho Bernardino area, not far from the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, where President Bush landed earlier today.

The helicopter was not involved in the actual firefighting missions. It is privately owned and contracted to the San Diego Electric and Gas Company.

Meantime, arson investigations are under way in Orange and Riverside counties in Southern California.

And CNN's Keith Oppenheim joins us now from the fire command center there in Orange, California.

And so just any minute now, right, the ATF will be having its briefing? What's the expectation?

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly right, Fredricka.

All you see behind me is a fairly large gathering of reporters and crews, and they're waiting not just for ATF, but also for FBI and for local authorities to talk about the investigation into arson. My sources all day long have been telling me that they have looked at three outdoor sites, starting from Sunday evening, and they have confirmed that at least two of them, and maybe a third, that they strongly believe they have evidence which indicates that this big fire, the San Diego Canyon Ranch fire, was started by arsonists, maybe one or more.

This is a very big fire at this point. It has reached 23,000 acres and it has taken down 22 buildings, including 14 homes. And there are more than 1,000 firefighters right now, Fredricka, that are trying to protect 3,000 or so homes. They're offering some large reward money at this point, $120,000, $50,000 of which was kicked in from the governor's office. The $70,000 comes from local authorities.

What we're waiting for is more details on what they know, what they collected, and whether or not they are close to getting anyone. What I have heard so far, Fredricka, is that they don't have anyone in custody yet, but this is an active investigation and maybe things are changing -- back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, we will be covering that live as it happens. We will check back with you. Thanks so much.

LEMON: And Rancho Bernardo in San Diego County was at the heart of this inferno. Evacuees from the area are starting to trickle back in, but in some neighborhoods, there's really nothing left by rubble. CNN's Reggie Aqui is there with the very latest.

Reggie, heartbreaking.

REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

And, actually, you mentioned a few minutes ago that the mayor has now opened up all of the city to residents, so, for the first time, some of these folks are coming to see what is left of their home.

This family walked up probably 20 seconds ago, and they're taking a look right now. And you can imagine? I'm not going to bother them right this second, because I'm not sure that they have actually seen what has happened to their home until this moment.

But can you imagine what's going on through their heads? This is a beautiful area, Don, as we have been talking about all day. It overlooks a great vista. The sun comes up over the mountains every morning here. Many of these folks have pools behind their house for that view.

And now everything is completely destroyed. As I was surveying some of the damage here, I really didn't find anything that looked like someone had lived here, no photographs, no personal belongings. It looks like this family has a couple kids that lived here, and you wouldn't be able to tell at all, given what the fire left behind.

Of course, this family, all these families, they are going to be contacting their insurance companies now to figure out what they have covered, what they don't have covered.

Eric Martinez is here from Safeco Insurance.

Eric, it's good to see you.

I'm sure a lot of folks are going to be asking. This same area of San Diego was hit by a fire several years ago. There's a lot of controversy about, did insurance companies let people know how much coverage they have, do they enough insurance? What is your company doing to make sure that people are covered like they should be?

ERIC MARTINEZ, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SAFECO: Well, our company uses independent agents. And independent agents work directly with the consumers to make sure those values are where they need to be so that when tragedies like this happen, that they are fully covered.

AQUI: Right now, are you guys just flooded with calls as people from this area try and figure out what it is that they were covered for?

MARTINEZ: Well, right now, we're still in an evacuation mode. So, what we're doing now is kind of figuring out what is damaged vs. our policyholders that may not have contacted us, so we can be a little bit more proactive and giving them a call and say, hey, listen, we have a loss here, and let's start getting your life back in order. AQUI: Some companies, as I'm sure you're aware, some large nationwide companies, have decided to pull out of California when it comes to insuring people's homes because of this very reason. Is your company going to do the same?

MARTINEZ: No, we're committed to California. It's one of our largest states that we insure in, and we're very happy to insure in California.

AQUI: All right, we appreciate you being here. Thank you very much. I'm sure you will be hearing from these folks and a lot of them.

His company does cover several homes right along this street. And again this family walking around their home and seeing that there's really not much left right now, Don, for them to come home to.

LEMON: Yes. And you know what? That was very nice of you not to bother them, because we can imagine, Reggie, it's an emotional situation.

But as we sit here and look at the photographer, can listen at -- this family -- this is what thousands of families, Reggie and Fred, are going to go through when they get back in -- Reggie, thank you.

Can you pan back over, if you can hear me, your photographer there?

AQUI: Sure.

LEMON: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

AQUI: To pan over back to the family here?

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes, can you go back to the family? Because this is exactly what thousands of families are going to go through, and now that they have opened -- the mayor has opened this up, so that people can go into their homes and see if it's actually there.

WHITFIELD: Right. They have reopened it for the city of San Diego. I think I misspoke earlier and said the county of San Diego. But the city only of San Diego, folks are allowed to return to these residential areas now.

LEMON: Yes. Yes.

So, I can't imagine that. And all of these situations where we see people who are, you know, taken from their home, or have to run away from their homes in the middle of the night or early in the morning, or get the call and they have to go quickly, and all these situations we see where they have to come back home. And much of the time it's not good news. And so just to give you an idea of what the folks are going through there, as if watching their homes burned were not enough, they come back and then they have to deal with this. And they have nothing.

And as we heard that family who was at Qualcomm, I think it was about two hours ago, said they didn't even have fire insurance. And so they're going to have to rebuild and use their own money in order to do it. The insurance company will probably not help out, and the government may help out in some way, but, you know, this kid who probably lived in the house right here and there's probably no heads or tails of where his room or the toys or what have you, so a very sad moment, a very touching and personal moment happening in California there.

Our hearts certainly go out to all of those people.

New video now of President Bush in the scorched and shocked Southern California just a little bit ago. Shortly after arriving, the president took a tour of the damage. And there's that video right there.

He took a tour with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. And the president, there he is there on the ground. This is new video of him in one of those neighborhoods, and there with the governor as well. He's expected to speak soon about what he witnessed. And, as soon as he does that, we're going to bring you his comments here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: All right, weather certainly was a factor in the firefighting efforts in the early stages, and it still is right now. While the Santa Ana winds seemed to have kind of tapered down just a little bit, Chad Myers in the Weather Center, you give us the more accurate view of how things stand. Does it look like it's going to kick in again? It is still hampering efforts? What?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, it's not kicking in again. In fact, the exact opposite is actually happening now.

A cold front is going to come onshore, and change the wind direction and actually push some of this moisture and some of this fog and smoke and smog and all this actually closer to the Inland Empire. The winds now shores coming onshore here. That's about Riverside, four miles per hour, north of L.A. in probably Santa Clarita, four miles per hour, so not blowing a lot.

Now, this is actually good news and bad news. It just depends on your point of view. Good news that we are not going to get any more fires, but also bad news now that we're going to keep this smoke around the L.A. Basin for an awful lot longer, and actually put it a little bit farther to the east, and maybe even all the way to El Centro, maybe all the way even into Yuma, Arizona, Flagstaff, and you might even smell the smoke if you're in Las Vegas coming up here in the next couple of days.

Look at the rain deficits from L.A., 2.8 inches of rain since January. They should have almost 10 inches of rain. Ontario only three. They should have almost 12 inches of rain there. And then the temperatures yesterday, boy, they were boiling because the wind was still out of the desert coming down the hill and warming up, where Camarillo was all the way to 99 degrees yesterday, all record heat.

The winds were ridiculous on Sunday night. Look at Laguna Peak, 111. Point Mugu was 101. Warm Springs, 91 miles per hour. There's no way to fight a fire, there's no way to fly anything, a helicopter, plane, anything in wind speeds like that.

We do now have on our Google Earth a kind of a mapping of where the areas that were burned are. The wildland areas to the east of Chula Vista and to the east, this would be the Harris fire here. Those are the areas that burn the most, the wildland areas.

And then you get a couple of areas where these wildland fires snuck into neighborhoods, like Poway, like Rancho Bernardo, and also down to Rancho Santa Fe. And here's the burn area here for Harris fire. That wind has been blowing offshore. Now the wind is stopping. And so, the wind is not going to blow that smoke offshore and you're not going to get these fires out right away.

I know we're not going to blow them up into infernos, but these fires are going to smoke and smolder for weeks and the air quality out there is just going to be horrific. You need to take care of yourself out there. Keep everything, all the filters you can go going, because it's going to be an ugly couple of weeks -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And air quality already a big problem there in Southern California, now being compounded by all this.

All right, Chad, thank you so much.

And, again, at the top of the hour, we're awaiting a press conference from ATF, because arson is suspected in some of those fires. We will get a briefing from them.

LEMON: Yes, unbelievable that this could have been started by man.

Also, we're going to get an update from the president, talk about his tour of the region, what he saw, who he spoke to. Also having lunch with some of the people there fighting the fires and participating in that effort.

CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Want to take you straight to Orange, California, now and that press conference involving the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS) CHIEF CHIP PRATHER, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: Just like we're managing the incident in a unified command with those multiple agencies that I just mentioned, we are going to address this investigation.

So, involved in that that are the agencies that I mentioned. Orange County Fire Authority has the lead, the sheriff's department, ATF and the FBI. The purpose for that expanded task force, if you will, is that we have a number of leads to follow. This is a complex incident, and we desperately want to catch the people or person that did this.

It is a confirmed arson. There was evidence found at the scene. And that's the purpose of our early declaration of being an arson- caused fire and the purpose of bringing together the task force.

I'm really pleased this morning to announce that a reward has been established by three entities to hopefully incentivize the use of our WeTip Line and to result in an apprehension of this person or persons.

We have a pledge from the governor for $50,000. In addition to bringing their federal resources to the table, the FBI has pledged $50,000 and the ATF has pledged $50,000. So there's $150,000 reward leading to the arrest and apprehension of the person or persons who have set this fire.

Now, let me just talk to you a second about the consequence of this arson-caused fire. I wonder, frankly, if we didn't have this fire here, this arson-caused fire here, how many of our resources might have been available to respond to other parts of the state and how many people might be alive today had our firefighters fighting the fire here been able to be in San Diego.

So, there are definitely consequences in Orange County to our neighbors. Homes have been destroyed. Hundreds of people are evacuated. And they are dealing with the aftermath of this fire, but this arsonist not only caused that. They prohibited us from responding to our neighbors to help.

And that's another reason I am committed to that capturing these people. I want to thank everybody for accessing our tip line, arson tip line. That number is 800-540-8282. We have had over 250 calls to that line. And we are tracking down each of them.

I'd like to encourage people...

WHITFIELD: All right, you're listening to Fire Chief Chip Prather right there talk about a $150,000 reward for the arrest or information leading to the arsonist responsible for the Santiago fire.

And now Governor Schwarzenegger, as well as President Bush.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: ... to President Bush for his tremendous support and for his immediate help in this terrible disaster and for taking the time out to come here to California and to see firsthand what the people of our state are going through and the battle that we're having here.

It means a lot to me personally and it means a lot to the people of California. When something like this happens, I think people want to see their leaders to take a firsthand look and to see and show to them that they want to help and do everything that they can. And I applaud President Bush for doing exactly that.

These fires are among the worst disasters in California history. And the president and I just had a heartbreaking tour of the disaster and some of the devastation. With 1,400 homes being destroyed and nearly half-a-million acres having been burned, the only way to grasp the true magnitude is to see it for yourself and to be out there with the people whose lives have been turned upside down.

Seeing all of this destruction this week has been saddening, but, at the same time, I have to say it also has been very inspirational, because we have seen how people have come together. In those evacuation centers, we have seen how everyone has volunteered, the nurses, doctors, how the grocers came in and delivered water and foods and so on and so forth.

It was really spectacular to see how people came together, and, of course, the incredible, heroic and dedicated firefighters. We have without any doubt the greatest, the most experienced, the smartest and the bravest firefighters.

So, let's give them a big, big hand for their great, great work.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that we have learned a lot from the past mistakes and I think that we are much stronger now. And it comes from good planning, lessons that we have learned from past mistakes, and the commitment of everyone working together for the greater good here.

The cooperation that you have seen from the president and from his administration has been absolutely fantastic. We asked for an emergency declaration and we got it within 24 hours. Then, when we saw the fire spreading and becoming a major disaster, we asked for a major disaster declaration, and we got it again within 24 hours.

And that, of course, means a lot, because it provides millions of dollars in federal aid and loans to individuals, families and businesses. And the president jumped into action right away.

So, we want to say thank you to the president for everything that he has done.

And, of course, the president and I pledge that we will stay all the way with this, because follow-through is the most important thing. We both understand that this will be a long process. We are doing well up until now, but this is not over. And I think the state and the federal government will need to be involved in every step of the way and we need to have good, good follow-through.

So, in order to help to make this happen, I am activating today the small business disaster assistant loan guarantee program. This will guarantee $7 million in loans for farmers, agriculture-related businesses and for businesses in the communities that have sustained significant damage and economic loss because of the fire.

Now, we have many, many tools here that we can use in order to help the families and the businesses recover. And the president and I, we are totally committed to use every one of those tools possible to make sure that we can help the people.

So, again, I want to say thank you very much to Senator Feinstein for being here today. I want to thank the president for coming out here today and being such a tremendous partner, such a great help, and having done everything that needs to be done.

So, thank you very much.

And now let's hear from President George Bush.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Governor, thank you very much.

First thing I want to let the people know out here in Southern California is that many across our nation have been moved by the plight of the citizens who have lost their homes, lost their possessions, and particularly those who have lost their life.

It's very important for those who are wondering about their future to know there's a lot of good citizens all across America who are praying for your future and really want to stand with you.

I appreciate the leadership of Governor Schwarzenegger. I said earlier when we were at the neighborhood, you know, there's no hill he's not willing to charge, no problem he's not willing to solve.

And we got a big problem out here, and I appreciate his leadership. It makes a significant difference when you have somebody in the statehouse willing to take the lead.

I have come to make sure that the federal government provides the help for people here at the local level.

I do want to thank Senator Feinstein for joining us. I want to thank the local mayors, statehouse folks, the Congress people for being with us as well.

Really is important for me to come out here and see firsthand the situation. And there's no question a lot of people are suffering. And there's no question there's been terrible losses.

I also am out here to make sure these firefighters behind me and the first responders know how much I appreciate and how much the country appreciates their courage and bravery.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Firefighters are on the scene and on the front lines. The police have helped maintain order. Emergency medical teams have treated the sick. And our National Guard personnel is providing very important assistance.

It turns out when the president shows up, so does a lot of the other brass. I'm proud to be here with General Tuck (sic), who runs the entire National Guard Bureau.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: All of us associated with the federal government, Governor, are here to make sure that the resources at our disposal are deployed to help you. And that's why there's all kinds of people from all different departments at the federal level, to assess the needs, to listen to the concerns, and to respond.

And that's exactly what we have been doing, and that's exactly what we will continue to do.

As the governor mentioned, I did issue an emergency declaration, which allows federal agencies across the government to help state and local authorities. It empowers FEMA to provide vital supplies, as well as to pay emergency grants to help pay for the cost of firefighting, evacuation, shelters and traffic control.

The Department of Agriculture and Interior have provided relief firefighters and equipment. As I mentioned, the Department of Defense is in this to help you through NORTHCOM. The military has got assets that we can help you with.

General, thanks for coming. we have got a four-star general with us today. He runs NORTHCOM. The reason he's here, Governor, is to listen to you -- find out what assets we can continue to deploy to help you.

As the governor mentioned yesterday, I signed a second declaration to help California's recovery and rebuilding efforts. The major disaster declaration authorizes the release of federal funds for debris removal and long-term assistance to individuals and business owners.

People affected by the fires can now apply for assistance for temporary housing and home repair and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.

Now, people here in this part of the world are wondering, is there a number they can call to get help? And here's the number: 1- 800-621-FEMA. If you want to find out whether or not you qualify for help -- federal help -- just call 1-800-621-FEMA, or go to the web site, FEMA.gov.

And there's a third way that you can find out whether you get help, and that is through a mobile disaster recovery center that FEMA has deployed around the state. And Arnold Schwarzenegger is right -- these fires are going to go out because of the bravery of the people behind us, but there are still going to be needs and concerns.

And the final reason I have come is to let you know we're not going to forget you in Washington D.C. -- that we want the people to know that there's a better day ahead; that today, your life may look dismal, but tomorrow life's going to be better.

And to the extent that the federal government can help you, we want to do so.

I do want to thank all the volunteers who have stepped forth to help a neighbor in need. There's an impressive number of people that have heard the call that one of their neighbors needs help.

For all those who are volunteering their time to help somebody get their feet back on the ground, I thank you from the bottom of our nation's heart.

May God bless those who suffer. May God bless those who are helping the people who are hurting. And may God continue to bless our country.

Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

WHITFIELD: There's a better day ahead tomorrow. Life is going to get better. A message to the folks there in Southern California, as well as commending the firefighting teams there, all the emergency response teams that have come into action there to help put out the fires, to help come to the rescue of so many residents that have been impacted.

And you heard from Governor Schwarzenegger, as well.

We'll have much more from THE NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, some people have so many gadgets -- like iPods, cell phone and DVD players -- they need a gadget to control their gadgets.

That's the topic of today's Next Big Thing. It's a new segment here.

Here's our own gadget guru, CNN's Miles O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You know you should keep your mind on your driving and your hands on the wheel. But you also know you don't. These days, there are just too many gadgets to play with -- cell phones, GPS guidance systems, DVD players. It makes it hard to put on your makeup. Carsten Mehrin may have just the solution we are looking for -- another gadget. Actually, it's a glove that controls other gadgets.

CARSTEN MEHRIN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES: This pairing gives you some forward. This pairing gives you some backwards. Volume up and volume down.

O'BRIEN: Mehrin is from Colorado and had snowboarders in mind when he cooked up this glove.

MEHRIN: I can actually use existing remote controls and just repackage them. The contact points are really just open wires. Once you close this open wire with the open wire on your thumb, you close it like a circuit and that gives you the signal.

O'BRIEN: But he's not just interested in drivers. He rigged up this remote for runners.

MEHRIN: Just clip it between your index finger and your thumb and you're ready to go run. The top two are for some forward or backwards. The lower two buttons are for volume up or down.

O'BRIEN: They're not on store shelves yet. But for multitasking gadget lovers, the idea sure seems like a perfect fit. But it might still be a distraction -- driver beware.

Miles O'Brien, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Just as the president was speaking, the ATF was also holding a press conference, talking about arson charges in these fires, specifically the Santiago Fire. That reward is up to $150,000 now. And just moments ago at that press conference, an FBI spokesperson weighed in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, lastly, I'd like to say this. To all the Southern Californians that have lived through this tragedy -- the FBI will bring to bear all its national resources, with the ATF, the Orange County Fire Authority, as well as the Orange County Sheriff's Department to make sure that we track, apprehend and put this person or persons behind bars where they belong.

Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Again, federal investigators announcing there that these fires, some of them possibly started by arsonists -- again, the Santiago Fire. The reward in that has gone up to $150,000. We'll follow-up.

WHITFIELD: And so many people impacted in so many ways.

Veteran TV reporter Stan Miller -- well, he's covered more than his share of wildfires. But this time it was very different. This time it was very personal. We'll tell you why, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So they survived the firestorm and now they're going home. And though their belongings may be reduced to ashes, CNN's John Roberts reports California homeowners are proving their spirits are intact.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CO-ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING" (voice-over): Sunrise in Rancho Bernardo -- and with it, the devastation comes into sharp focus -- smoldering ruins, soot and ash. It's a story repeated a dozen times on this street alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But there's no guarantees and we have no further information.

ROBERTS: Up the road, anxious residents try to negotiate their way past National Guard and police checkpoints. Frustration mounts. No one is quite sure what they'll find when they get back in.

SUSAN JOHNSON, RESIDENT: Well, it's pretty devastated. They call it an apocalypse.

ROBERTS: But some had a glimpse of what might await them.

STEVE COKER, RESIDENT: When we evacuated Monday morning, we already -- there was already burning leaves falling in our yard. There was fire. The trees next door were already on fire. We had to evacuate really quickly. We had to leave our two cats behind.

ERIN ARNOLD, RESIDENT: Oh, my -- this doesn't even look...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See the power cables?

ARNOLD: ...this doesn't even look like Highland Valley Road.

ROBERTS: Erin Arnold knows what lies at the end of this ride. Her husband Brian showed her the pictures. But this is the first time she and her three kids have seen it in person.

ARNOLD: This is the craziest thing I think I've ever seen in my life.

ROBERTS: A lifetime of memories and possessions gone forever. Yet through the help of family and church, Erin is remarkably strong.

ARNOLD: My mom is crying. And I'm like, don't cry. It's just -- it's not coming back. We're starting over. It's all right. It feels -- fire -- you know, they say fire is a cleansing. I feel kind of cleansed. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, the orca made it.

ROBERTS: They vow to rebuild and even find humor where there should be nothing but heartache.

ARNOLD: I really hated my floor and I wanted wood floors so bad, but the thick planks, distressed wood floors. And I knew I was never going to get them. But I think I can get them now.

ROBERTS: It is a way, perhaps, of coping. Out of the ashes, a new dream of better days ahead.

John Roberts, CNN, Rancho Bernardo, California.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LEMON: Breaking news from the Middle East.

Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with the very latest details for us -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, we think that maybe an international mystery about what happened in September in the desert of Eastern Syria is about to be solved.

I want to put two pictures up and show them to everyone and leave this side by satellite imagery up on our air and just explain it to people.

On the left hand side, you see a picture of a satellite image taken in August, a commercial satellite snapping a picture over Eastern Syria back in August. That center building is now gone. As you see, this is a picture on the right of just a few days ago.

What happened in between, Don?

In September, about a month ago, Israeli warplanes bombed a site in Eastern Syria that was widely said to have been a nuclear reactor under construction in Syria with the help of North Korea. That has never been confirmed by either the Israelis or the U.S. government. It's a story everyone has been following for weeks. It has been a matter of great secrecy, all the way from Israel to Washington. No one will speak about it. But today, for the first time -- if we can go back to those pictures for just one minute -- we now see the clearest evidence that -- there is the before picture on the left of what is said to have been the possibility of a nuclear reactor being built in Syria. The site just a few days ago scraped clean.

In between, the Israelis bombed something and we think the Syrians have now cleaned it up -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Barbara Starr.

Thank you for that, Barbara.

WHITFIELD: Well, this is hard to believe, but there's yet another round of recalls to tell you about. In most cases, the culprit is the same -- lead.

So here are the products you need to avoid. Purple Halloween pails and witch decorations sold at Family Dollar Stores, right there on the screen to the left. Also, DecoPacs' Football Bobblehead Cake Decorations with green bases, and the Robbie Ducky Children's Rake, Hoe, Broom and Spade are also being recalled. You see them all here on the screen.

And in addition to Fisher Price's Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Boat -- that, too, recalled. Also included, Beary Cute, Expressions and Sassy & Chic Children's Metal Jewelry. And along with WeGlow's Children's Flashing Rings, featuring Shrek 3 and Spiderman 3, finally the Bumbo is recalling about Baby Sitter Seats, not due to lead, but because children can actually flip out and fall onto the floor.

I hope you got all of that with those visuals, as well.

And you can find out more information I you have any more questions -- cpsc.gov.

LEMON: That's probably the easiest way. That's a lot of information together.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: The Space Shuttle Discovery arriving at the International Space Station today with quite a list of things to do for the crew. A record-tying five spacewalks are planned, along with some major construction work. The mission begins with a bit of history -- the first meeting of two spacecraft with both commanded by women, Pam Melroy at the helm of the Discovery and Peggy Whitson, who heads the Space Station there -- greeting one another and respective crew members with hearty hugs.

That's not one of them.

WHITFIELD: Oh, (INAUDIBLE) waiting.

LEMON: That's Fredericka Whitfield.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: She could...

WHITFIELD: But wouldn't it be nice to be up there?

LEMON: You could go in orbit, I'm sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, 15 minutes now before the hour.

And here are three other stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Stepping up the pressure on Iran's leaders, the U.S. has announced new financial sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program. And gunfire outside a middle school football game in Saginaw, Michigan. A high school student is in critical condition. Another teenager and two adults were hurt. And police say a 15-year-old person of interest is now being questioned.

And 1962 Nobel Prize winner James Watson has retired from his job at a prestigious research institution. Watson was suspended last week after suggesting that black people are intellectually inferior.

LEMON: Well, he is a veteran TV anchor and reporter. His name is Stan Miller. He has covered more than his share of wildfires. Well, this time, it is different. This time, it is personal and we'll tell you why.

Stan Miller joins us live in the CNN NEWSROOM, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, TV news anchor Stan Miller has covered stories -- wildfires -- in San Diego since the mid-'80s. But this time he says it's not just covering the story. He is part of it.

And he joins us now live from San Diego.

Stan, considering all that you guys are going through, thank you so much for joining us.

You're working 24 hours a day?

STAN MILLER, KFMB-TV ANCHOR: No, we're getting some sleep. But we are certainly -- we have been rotating and everybody has been pitching in. And, yes, it's been some long days -- really long days.

LEMON: How is this different -- you know, we're talking to you and you say that this was -- this is, by far, the worst thing you've ever seen in San Diego, when it comes to natural disasters.

MILLER: Yes, you know, I thought the Cedar Fire a few years ago was probably the worst thing I'd ever seen. And I've been through a 7.3 or 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Orange County. And I thought that was one of the worst things I had ever seen.

This, by far, this is devastation. And, you know, a lot of people are saying, well, this is our Katrina. It's all relative to what the disaster is doing. But a million people out of their homes...

LEMON: Yes.

MILLER: ...I mean in evacuation centers?

I mean this -- this really kind of is. And I know people would go oh, that's nothing like Katrina. Well, to us in San Diego, it is. It's that bad.

LEMON: Yes.

Your colleague -- first of all, how's your home?

MILLER: Mine's fine.

LEMON: It's fine.

MILLER: I only had to leave for one night and it was -- it was fine. I have friends whose houses -- literally, the fire burned up to 80 feet. And the fire department here -- man, I can't say enough. I get weepy when I think about what these guys have done. They're working 24 hours a day.

LEMON: Yes.

MILLER: Those are the heroes. Those are the people that are working.

LEMON: They certainly are.

And, you know, your colleague, Larry Himmel, we've seen him all over the news -- the national news. And you work with him and he's actually a buddy of yours -- lost his home and actually reported on it.

Let's take a listen to that and then we'll talk about it, Stan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY HIMMEL, KFMB-TV REPORTER: On any given day, I would say welcome to my home. This is what is left of my home, just outside the Four S Ranch area. A fire crew that fought valiantly to save every house on this hill at least took a shot at it and were nice enough to let us up here. That was our garage -- the living room over there. There was a porch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So how is Larry doing, Stan?

MILLER: You know what?

I think Larry is doing better than the rest of us. He's a trooper. He's been through a lot of stuff. He is one of the veterans of this -- this market, news wise. And everybody loves him. The outpouring to Larry is going to be amazing after this is all over, to get rebuilt and get his life back together -- and his wife and his son. And you know, every -- I -- it's really hard for me to talk about this, because Larry is so loved in this community. And that's when it really hit home for all of us as broadcasters is when Larry was standing in front of his house and it was burning down. And I mean, you know, a lot of times we sit there on that desk and we report this stuff, but when one of your -- one of your close friends gets hit like that and loses everything, it just wipes you out.

LEMON: Yes. I can understand it's very emotional. And when you -- we have been talking to so many people there, Stan. And it's amazing the spirit of the folks and how they are -- they have this can do, pull through attitude. And, you know, you don't see much wailing or what have you.

What do you attribute that to?

MILLER: You know, we've got a heck of a fighting spirit in Southern California. I think people from around the country might think that we're a bunch of surfers that are soft. But I'm telling you, we've got some tough people down here. And when this kind of stuff happens -- I've never seen a community surround -- and surround the wagons like this one does. And -- for example, I got a call early in the morning from a guy who had just evacuated 400 seniors. They were sitting in a high school gym. These people were in their 80s and 90s. They had no beds, no cots. And he said, "Stan, can you go on the air with this?"

I called in and did a phone-in. Within an hour -- seriously, within an hour they had to turn people away. They had too many doctors, too many nurses, too many beds, too much food, too much everything.

LEMON: Yes.

MILLER: And that's the way that it's been all the way through.

LEMON: Stan Miller, our best to you.

And, also, will you give our best to Larry Himmel, as well?

MILLER: We sure will.

And thank you so much for being involved out here. And just for everybody who's watching in other parts of the country, you know, hey, if you can help out, we'd be more than happy to receive.

Thank you.

LEMON: All right, Stan, thank you.

Take care.

WHITFIELD: That's extraordinary. I know a lot of folks will be reaching out from all parts of the country.

LEMON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Well, coming up, a very special fan in the stands at game two of the World Series.

And the closing bell and a wrap up of the action on Wall Street. All of that straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is ntime now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Thanks very much, Don.

Thousands of people are getting the first glimpse of what's left of their burnt out homes. We're live on the scene.

Plus, on the ground with federal officials as they hunt down arsonists they believe are responsible for some of these wildfires.

A one-on-one interview with the outed CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson. I'm asking her about the leaks, the blame, her new book. This is an interview I think you're going to want to see.

Also, Rudy Giuliani a target of the mafia?

Details of a plan are just coming out during a murder trial in New York. We'll tell you what's going on.

All that and a lot more, coming up right here in THE SITUATION ROOM -- back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We look forward to a lot of that.

LEMON: All right, Wolf.

We'll be watching.

Yes.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Wolf.

All right, well, baseball's World Series is exactly what the doctor ordered for a 13-year-old heart transplant patient. Andrew Madden of Odessa, Texas and his cariothoracic surgeon, Kristine Gulesarian, made an agreement six weeks ago. If Boston made the Series and all went well with his operation, then they would both would be in Beantown. And so, mission accomplished. Reds Six (ph) management has given them a prime inside suite for tonight's game two. It's a pretty nice touch considering Boston's October chill. Their Red Sox matched the Colorado Rockies 13-1 in the Series opener last night.

What a nice gift.

How sweet.

LEMON: Very cute.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, the closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

LEMON: That means Susan Lisovicz is standing by with the final look at the trading day -- hi, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK.

Well, you know, we were talking about that A380 inaugural flight. I know we were so iprsd.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Right. LISOVICZ: People paying up to $100,000 for a seat on that flight, which landed in Sydeny today. Well, we happen to know someone who was on board that flight.

WHITFIELD: Oh, really?

LISOVICZ: If you can roll it, I think you'll recognize it.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no fair.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, to commemorate the event I wore my Concorde cuff links from the last flight of the Concorde. So we knew it was going to be a good day to start with.

WHITFIELD: There you go.

LEMON: It's Quest!

WHITFIELD: I like those cuff links, too.

LISOVICZ: Very good.

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).

LISOVICZ: I mean he gets all the great assignments.

WHITFIELD: Yes, he does.

LISOVICZ: (INAUDIBLE).

LEMON: What a gig that guy has, huh?

LISOVICZ: He works it.

LEMON: Amazing.

LISOVICZ: Well, there was Dom Perignon. I can report that. There was Dom Perignon being served on the flight.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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