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Beach House Fire Kills 7; SoCal Communities Survey Fire Damage

Aired October 28, 2007 - 16:59   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: First up, that beach house fire. It happened this morning in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina and left at least seven people dead. Half a dozen people from the house ended up in the hospital and authorities say university students were in that home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR DEBBIE SMITH, OCEAN ISLE BEACH: Six individuals were transported to Brunswick Hospital. Our latest information is they've all been released. Six other individuals have been confirmed dead at this time. Their identities will not be released until we notify all the families.

The information I have at this time is most of them were from the University of South Carolina and Clemson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, again, an updated number of deaths from that beach house is seven. And no word yet on what may have caused the fire. More on this story a little bit later on in the NEWSROOM. And also an update from the University of South Carolina, expected to have some comments in about 30 minutes from now.

Meantime, out West, cooler, humid weekend weather has helped California firefighters make some progress. But those brutal Santa Ana winds are predicted to make a comeback in the days ahead. Updating the latest on the blazes now, the Rice and Horno fires in San Diego County are finally reported fully contained. Together, they burned about 30,000 acres.

And in L.A. County, all blazes but the Ranch fire are contained. But even that has been knocked down significantly. In all, as of this morning, 14 deaths have been recorded and about 1,600 homes have been destroyed.

WHITFIELD: And when all of these blazes are finally extinguished, community after community will be dealing with the destruction left behind. And the fears and struggles straight ahead. Joining us live with more on that, CNN's Kara Finnstrom.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we're coming to you from the Rancho Bernardo Church. Usually more than 250 people come together in this place to worship. But as you can see behind me now, the fire completely just burned through this stage area. And if you take a look forward, the sprinklers went off, fortunately, saving the rest of this sanctuary.

But as we move towards the stage, if you take a look up, you can see where the fire just burned right on up through the roof. And joining us live now is the pastor of this church, Pastor Dan Maxton.

Thank you for taking a little time for us.

REV. DAN MAXTON, RB BAPTIST CHURCH: Glad to do it.

FINNSTROM: Let's start off with what you brought up with you. A lot of folks here seemed to be taking, I don't know, kind of some comfort in the fact that this survived. And tell us what it is.

MAXTON: Well, this is a Bible from 1869, and this was rescued from another fire-damaged building by our facilities manager, Bill Griffin (ph). And then he brought it here. And we've been using it, featuring it in our resource center, just a precious book.

And lo and behold, it got involved in this fire. But of all the books, you know, this survived the fire. And so we're just pleased that it's still here and it's just kind of a neat story. It has survived twice, two fires.

FINNSTROM: Wow. Your church congregation came together today and I was actually very impressed. You had more than 250 people here. Some Red Cross workers came out and joined. We have some video of that we want to share with the folks at home. But talk to us about why it was so important to get everyone together so soon after this disaster.

MAXTON: Well, after the fire on Monday, we really had two concerns or things that we were looking to. One, we wanted to be ready for the community. And so the first thing we got started was our relief aid station that we wanted to have available for fire victims in our immediate area.

And our folks came out in droves. They just came volunteering, wanting to hand out water, food, go help clean some homes that some residents needed help with. And so we've been doing that all week. But at the same time, we were wondering where we were going to meet, because the facility here was just, you know, uninhabitable.

And so we went back to our original chapel on the campus that was built 10 -- when the church was 10 years old, a lot smaller to be sure, and we just began restoring it. We worked with some professional companies to get it cleaned and we were just delighted that we finished late in the afternoon yesterday and this morning the people were just delighted to come and worship together.

FINNSTROM: All of this in the span of a week. Thank you so much for joining us. And by the way, Fredricka, this church already making those plans to rebuild this as well at the same time, with plans to reach out to the community and help it heal. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Any kind of timetable that they're willing to come up with? FINNSTROM: Well, they had folks in here this morning trying to figure that out. So I do know they don't have that yet. But they were looking at some of the structural work that needs to be done and trying to put it all together on paper. But they move pretty quickly around here, so I wouldn't be surprised...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes. I know that day couldn't come soon enough for the folks there. Kara Finnstrom, thank you so much.

Well, these fires were tragically real. So why would the Federal Emergency Management Agency need to hold a phony press conference? Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is not amused. In the middle of the wildfire disaster in California, staffers with FEMA held a news conference and the problem was, there were no reporters asking the questions. They were actually staffers.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you happy with FEMA's response so far?

VICE ADM. HARVEY JOHNSON, FEMA DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR: I'm very happy with FEMA's response so far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Yes, well, all of that was staged and CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has been following the developments there from Orange, California, because it has been having a ripple effect across the country, even though that staged press conference happened in Washington.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this is one of those amazing Washington stories where an individual, who was raked over the coals one week for his job performance, gets a new, arguably more important job the very next week.

It all revolves around that press conference you just saw a clip of where FEMA staffers were lobbing softball questions at the podium. One of the people lobbing the questions was John Philbin, known as "Pat" Philbin. He is the director of external affairs at FEMA, at least he was until last Thursday. That was his last day. Did he leave because of fallout from the press conference? No. He is leaving because he got a new job. He is going to be director of public affairs for Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, arguably a more prestigious and powerful job in Washington.

This, despite the fact that the homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff, was unambiguous in what he thought about this incident in an interview yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I've seen since I've been in government. And I made it unambiguously clear in Anglo-Saxon prose that it's not to ever happen again and there will be appropriate disciplinary action taken against those people who exhibited what I regard as extraordinarily poor judgment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: DHS officials say that some reprimands have been issued. More reprimands and possible disciplinary action could be taken against others. Officials won't say if Pat Philbin was the recipient of any of those, but meanwhile, he's starting a new job on Monday with the director of national intelligence -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I mean, it's astounding. Of all places to try to stage a fake news conference, Washington, D.C., and FEMA. It makes no sense.

All right. Meantime, you're there in Orange, California, you've seen first hand, talked to folks firsthand who are trying to come to grips with all of that has been lost. What was your experience like today?

MESERVE: Well, went up to Silverado Canyon today with some of the people who have been displaced since last Sunday. It was their first trip up there. They were taken up by official authorities. They weren't going up on their own. They were allowed just 10 minutes in their homes to round up medicine or animals or clothes, whatever they needed to find. There were some very heart-rending moments.

One woman who had been seemingly emotionally unaffected by this when she was in her house shed a few tears. Another woman dropped to her knees and prayed at the front steps of her house. But for all of these people, good news, authorities here say that this fire is now 50 percent contained and today they're sending up fire assessment teams to various communities to look at the safety conditions to make a determination on whether some of those people could go back to their homes some time soon -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much, in Orange, California.

Meantime, another big and very significant and very deadly fire taking place on the East Coast of this country. Right there, the remnants of a house fire in Ocean Isle, North Carolina. A beach house that was filled with college students from the University of South Carolina as well as Clemson is what officials are telling us. And now we're understanding and you're looking at a live shot right there from the University of South Carolina in Columbia where a news conference will take place in about 20 minutes from now.

We're understanding now that the death toll from that beach house fire now stands at seven. Seven possible college students who died from this early morning fire, a fire that started about 7:00 a.m. It's unclear why it started. At least six other students or at least residents of that house were also injured. All right. We want to check in with a reporter there on the scene there. His name is Conan Gasque there in Ocean Isle, North Carolina.

And so, Conan, the latest numbers are just simply devastating. The mayor told me moments ago seven confirmed deaths now. What else are you learning about this fire?

CONAN GASQUE, NEWS 14 CAROLINA REPORTER: Well, as you mentioned, there are seven confirmed dead. Others were taken to Brunswick Hospital and have been released. They believe, as you mentioned earlier, that most of the students were from the University of South Carolina and possibly one was from Clemson University. And as far as it goes with determining the cause of the fire, what I'm hearing right now is that they're probably not going to know names of the victims or how the fire was caused for another couple of days.

WHITFIELD: Now what about -- we do understand that this house, right -- and the mayor confirms the information you gave me earlier, that this house is actually owned by the family of one of these college students. So that identity is probably going to be made clear. I imagine that family will have to make its way there to try to assess the damage and also maybe identify the body of at least their family member, right?

GASQUE: I think that would be a safe assumption. You know, what they mentioned in the news conference earlier is, as you said, that it was probably owned by the family members of one of the students there. So right now that's about all the information I have as related to that. But I think it would be safe to assume that at some point those family members will be around the scene.

WHITFIELD: So, Conan, what about all the other residents in the area? I mean, we're looking at a pretty tight cluster of homes, it's not like this beach house was out in the middle of nowhere and by itself. Clearly there had to have been a lot of witnesses or someone else in the neighborhood who saw something fishy or funny, anything like that? Has that person or persons stepped forward?

GASQUE: Well, I'm hearing some speculation about people who maybe saw some things or spoke to some people before the fire but nothing that I've really gotten confirmed yet. But there have been plenty of people standing around that I've seen who are just people who live in the neighborhood, who are just looking at what happened to the house.

And as you mentioned, there are plenty of other houses in there. Ocean Isle Beach is a family beach where a lot of people have summer houses down here. It's not that big an area in the off-season, but during the summer, I was told earlier that I believe it swells to about 15,000 people.

So there are a lot of other houses around there, but this time of year, there may have been some people in those houses and may not. As we discussed earlier, most of the people in there, in the house, this house that burned, were probably students from the University of South Carolina and it's likely that they were down here on their fall break. WHITFIELD: So sad. OK. It is off-season. So clearly not as many people around there as usual. Conan Gasque, thanks so much. Can't imagine what the family members as well as the neighbors have to be going through right now. Meantime, a press conference in about 15 minutes from now out of Columbia, South Carolina, at the University of South Carolina where many of the injured and dead are believed to have been students. We'll monitor the events there and bring that to you.

Meantime, here in Georgia, two years after he was jailed for having sex with another teenager, Genarlow Wilson attends church for the first time as a free man. We'll take you to the emotional service coming up next.

Let's take a look at this right here. Kind of difficult to discern, but some ominous pink kind of swirls there. A lot of times that means some tropical depressions or disturbances there in the Caribbean. And Hillary in the severe weather center is monitoring those events to find out exactly what could be brewing there. All that coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, he says he's not bitter after spending two years in prison. Genarlow Wilson is planning to move forward with his life. Wilson attended services today at Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. He went to prison for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17. His release came Friday when Georgia's Supreme Court ruled his 10-year sentence was cruel and unusual punishment. At Ebenezer today, Wilson was grateful for his freedom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENARLOW WILSON, RELEASED FROM PRISON: Good morning. Well, first of all, I would like to say, our praise goes to the most high.

(APPLAUSE)

WILSON: (INAUDIBLE)

(LAUGHTER)

WILSON: Well, we are at a loss for words. (INAUDIBLE).

(APPLAUSE)

WILSON: The Bible says that there's a time and season for everything. I guess the time finally came.

(APPLAUSE)

WILSON: And once again, I want to thank Reverend (INAUDIBLE) the whole Ebenezer Baptist Church for giving me a beautiful homecoming.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Genarlow Wilson in church there with his mother and his 9-year-old sister. Well, don't miss Genarlow Wilson's first primetime interview with our Rick Sanchez. That is tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN's "OUT IN THE OPEN."

Well, coming up, we're going to talk a little weather, big weather. The newest tropical storm of the hurricane season is moving through the Caribbean. Hillary Andrews is watching it all.

HILLARY ANDREWS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are. We have the very latest from the National Hurricane Center and believe it or not, well, Noel has strengthened. Could we be talking Hurricane Noel in the near future? We'll talk about it coming up, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's hope not.

Also ahead, illegal immigrants, driver's licenses and an uproar brewing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, the stories of escape and even survival have been pretty remarkable out of the West Coast area through all those fires last week. But how about the case of one family whose pool actually saved their lives? The fire destroyed their home, killed their neighbors and Carol LeBeau of our San Diego affiliate KGTW (sic) actually caught up with them and their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROGER BIELASZ, FIRE SURVIVOR: And this is the synthetic decks that saved our life.

CAROL LEBEAU, KGTV REPORTER: Roger Bielasz and his wife Dena can't believe they're still alive. Their Highland Valley home was burned to the ground, not by the Witch fire, but a fire sparked by a downed power line.

R. BIELASZ: A transformer blew up and it started a fire over there, and it was going down the riverbed.

LEBEAU: A wall of flames quickly surrounded their home. They ran to the garage but the door wouldn't open.

R. BIELASZ: So we hid in the garage because it had the least amount of smoke and we took some -- we took some rags and covered them with drinking water.

LEBEAU: They eventually escaped through a window. That's when they noticed their upgraded synthetic deck was not on fire.

DENA BIELASZ, FIRE SURVIVOR: We were able to run down the stairs along the back side of the house.

R. BIELASZ: Into the pool. D. BIELASZ: And underneath the other deck, and then jump into the swimming pool.

LEBEAU: For the next three hours, they stayed in their pool and watched the firestorm devour their home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, and that was Carol LeBeau reporting from KGTV. Meantime, Dr. Roger and Dena Bielasz join us now with their incredible story. So pick up where we left off. Three hours in your pool, what was that like, Doctor?

R. BIELASZ: Yes. It's an experience I hope nobody has to go through. But we had always had an escape plan that if with were caught up here during one of these freak fires that we would get to the pool. We also had a pact with our neighbors, Vickie and Chris Bain, that if they got caught up here, they were supposed to get their butts down here and get in the pool with us.

D. BIELASZ: If they were able.

R. BIELASZ: If they were able.

WHITFIELD: And for some reason they were not able because you guys had actually made some improvements on your home to make it a little bit safer in situations like this. Sadly, your neighbors didn't make it. Chris Bain and Victoria Fox, they lived just, what, 500 yards from you? And you have since learned...

R. BIELASZ: Five hundred yards away.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Already have since learned that they passed away in their home. Tell me about...

D. BIELASZ: Right.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That has to be pretty heartbreaking for you, Dena.

R. BIELASZ: We -- our view of -- we -- our house sets on the ridge top, the north view is the (INAUDIBLE) Valley. Our house sets right on the edge. And we happened to be looking out the window at the very moment that the power line went down and hit the ground and started the fire.

We were in the process of putting our shoes on at that time and by the time we got our shoes on and made it to the garage and found out we couldn't leave, within five minutes our house was engulfed in flames.

And we could see that fire, the Bains were on the other side of the hill. There's no way they could have seen the fire. It came around and got them by surprise.

WHITFIELD: Right. It just really caught everybody by surprise. So here you are in your pool. I understand you were in the shallow end of the pool, which is actually closest to your home. So were these flames kind of, you know, licking the water, licking the tops of your head? Did you feel the intense heat? Were you...

R. BIELASZ: No, it...

WHITFIELD: You didn't feel that?

R. BIELASZ: We were in the shallow end initially and we figured it was too dangerous to be there because when the house started to collapse it would collapse on us. So we went to the deep end and got on a seat underneath the rock overhang that was our waterfall. And the rock overhang protected our heads.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

R. BIELASZ: And now that we're back here today and standing in front of the area that we initially were by the pool, we see there is spattered melted metal all over where we initially were standing...

WHITFIELD: Wow. And...

R. BIELASZ: ... in the pool. If we had stayed there, we would have been covered with melted metal.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And I just cannot imagine what was going through your minds, Doctor and Dena, while you're in this water for three hours, the water is cold, even though you've got all these shooting flames around you, and there have to be moments where you're thinking, I don't know, we seem like we're in the safest place, but are we going to make it?

Dena, what was going through your mind through all this, maybe when you got to the point of two-and-a-half hours, were you thinking, is this ever going to end?

D. BIELASZ: That's exactly what I was thinking. The pool water was cold. We were shivering. I just kept thinking to myself, oh, my God, oh, my God. And we could hear cans popping in the pantry. We could hear wine bottles breaking and glass exploding. And I just kept telling Roger, you've got to get your hair wet, keep your hair wet so that your hair doesn't catch on fire and stay close back here to the rocks.

And as we were shivering, at one point we started to get cramps. And so I told Rog, keep your hands under water, hold on to the step, and you've got to move your legs around, kick your legs, move your feet so that you don't -- you know, because we got to just -- we got to do it.

WHITFIELD: And you're talking to one another, was it pretty loud, too? I mean, you're hearing all the popping and the flames are crackling, was it difficult to engage one another, to keep talking and, you know, help each other out?

R. BIELASZ: We weren't talking because the air around us was solid soot. So we tried not to talk. But we couldn't hear anything because after being in the pool about an hour, we could hear our neighbor's house catch on fire to the east of us, because the Witch fire had got here. And the embers started coming over from their house and they were the size of bricks. So we had to duck our head under the rock.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And what's amazing, you mentioned the Witch fire on the way. The fire here at your house you believe was really started by a power line that went down, which also is the fire that may have...

R. BIELASZ: It was another fire.

WHITFIELD: Extraordinary. Roger and...

R. BIELASZ: But, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Yes. Go ahead.

R. BIELASZ: I want to say something. My mother died last year. Before she died, she said she was going to be our guardian angel. Her name was Fredricka (ph).

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's so sweet.

R. BIELASZ: It's nice to talk to you, mom.

WHITFIELD: And I am a mom and it is great to talk to you, too. And I understand that when you found a page of a book from her, right?

R. BIELASZ: Yes. We found up in our rose garden, my medical library was completely destroyed. Thousands and thousands of books are just piles of ash. But up in our rose garden next to the little cement angel she gave us was a piece of paper from an inspirational book that she gave my wife years ago. And there was a little burnt piece of paper setting in the rose bush and the most prominent words were "no will but God's."

WHITFIELD: Wow. That is extraordinary. She was with you the whole way.

D. BIELASZ: I think so.

R. BIELASZ: And when we were laying here by the pool, when we got out next to that curved rock wall, there's no way that we could die on Monday, the 22nd. It's my daughter's wedding anniversary.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Wow, well, these were some...

R. BIELASZ: We were not going to let it happen.

WHITFIELD: Wow, well, this was some -- a powerful convergence of emotions and interventions that all collided at once. So we're so glad you are able to share your story with us. And what an incredible journey you all have had.

D. BIELASZ: Yes. Thank you.

R. BIELASZ: We would give everything we lost freely to get Chris and Vickie back.

WHITFIELD: I know you would. I know you would. That is as incredible loss. Our hearts go out to you and of course the family members of your neighbors, Chris Bain and Victoria Fox. And thanks so much, Roger and Dena Bielasz. We wish you all the best in your rebuilding and we would love to keep in touch with you and see how things go.

R. BIELASZ: Thank you, Fredricka.

D. BIELASZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Take care.

We'll have much more on the fire out West and then a tragic fire taking place on the East Coast. Right now you're looking at live pictures of what is it to be a press conference to happen any moment now out of Columbia, South Carolina, at the University of South Carolina. And that is because they will be talking about the loss of what could be seven students, if not from their university, then maybe also from Clemson, college students who were at a beach house at Ocean Isle, North Carolina. A fire took seven lives and injured six others. We'll bring you that press conference or monitor it as soon as it happens. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Happening right now, a press conference in Columbia, South Carolina, at the University of South Carolina where they are mourning the loss of college students who perished in a beach house fire in Ocean Isle, North Carolina.

This is what Dr. Dennis Pruitt of the University of South Carolina said moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DENNIS PRUITT, VICE PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA: This is a very sad day for the University of South Carolina and the entire university. We learned early this morning that 13 students were in a house in Ocean Isle, North Carolina, there for a weekend off from school. And we learned this morning that seven students have perished in that fire and six have survived. We have been in contact with the law enforcement officials at Ocean Isle. We're assisting them with identification of the individuals. We just learned before coming over here that they're going to send the bodies of those that perished in the fire to Chapel Hill for identification.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Terribly sad. Dr. Dennis Pruitt at the University of South Carolina, the vice president of student affairs continuing to talk during that press conference. Their hearts are broken at the loss of seven college students at the Ocean Isle, North Carolina area. They were at a beach house enjoying a weekend away. There were 13 students in all, as Dr. Pruitt said. Seven died, six have been injured. The investigation is underway as to what exactly started this fire. We'll continue to follow the developments there.

Meantime, firefighters in Southern California doggedly trying to take advantage of this weekend's cooler weather before the hot, dry, Santa Ana winds return.

Updating the latest on the blazes right now, the Rice and Horno (ph) fires in San Diego are reported fully contained. Together, they burned about 30,000 acres.

In Los Angeles County, all blazes but the ranch fire is contained. But that's been knocked down significantly. In all, as of this morning, 14 deaths have been recorded and about 1,600 homes destroyed.

So what do you do in such an unimaginable situation? Do you stay, do you go, rebuild? So many decisions to make in the midst of such uncertainty. But survivors have a resource their predecessors did not.

We bring in Ken Klein from Rancho Bernardo, California. He's a fire survivors and knows exactly what many of these victims are going through.

Ken, good to see you.

KEN KLEIN: Good afternoon.

WHITFIELD: You and others came up with this idea, this network because there were a lot of questions that you had after you lost everything from fires years ago. You came up with a checklist, if you will, of tips of what folks need to be thinking about right now as they recover. What's the first thing a lot of these survivors need to be doing?

KLEIN: The first thing is visit the property, document what it looks like. Make sure they contact their insurance company and find a place they'll be living.

WHITFIELD: You mentioned insurance company. I've covered a lot of fires and other disasters to know that people, when they lose everything, they lose their identification, they're lost their insurance papers, all those documents because not everyone has a firebox. So if you've lost all of that, then what?

KLEIN: Well, what we've done out here in san Diego, one of our city council members has set up a one stop shot that has all the governmental entities, utility companies, every thing they need, where they can come to that resource center and they can start pulling all those things together. In fact, even the people who had fire safes are finding themselves there, because the fire burned so hot that, even though the safes made it, the documents inside incinerated.

WHITFIELD: So you help them on what do I do now? But then there's the next phase of, you know, how do I go on? So you've broken it down into days, weeks and six months from now, this is a measure of progress and a year from now. Explain thoroughly by what you mean by that.

KLEIN: Sure. The urge of all of the folks who lost their homes is the same our urge was four years ago. They want to get sticks up in the air and be back home in six months.

What we learned is this is a much longer process. It's at least a year, going to be closer to two years, and what we're trying to do in our neighborhood is to match up one-on-one mentors of people who are in similar circumstances to Rancho Bernardo, had the same insurance company, have similar homes and walk them through the process of getting their insurance in place, getting their coverages, rebuilding their homes, buying all the things they lost, doing all the things they need to be doing now to get their lives back in order.

WHITFIELD: So you know this because you went through the Cedar fire. You lost everything, or at least a lot. And so a couple years later now, do you feel, you know, like you have a pretty good handle of, you know, what the future holds and do you feel like you're gotten your bearings again, or are there still moments that you feel you have losses that have been unaddressed?

KLEIN: No, I mean, our lives are back to our lives. Our whole street is rebuilt, we're all in our homes and we all have things, furniture and clothes, and have gone on. But when our neighbors find themselves in the same circumstances, it was a time to come help them along the same path. And show them that there is an end point to that path that is a successful one.

WHITFIELD: So it seems like that was the root of kind of your healing, that you guys did stick together. It wasn't an "you're on your own, buddy."

KLEIN: My neighborhood was very organized and frankly we had people in our neighborhood, community leaders in our neighborhood, who helped us immensely. And we were very lucky that way. And we're very lucky we have the opportunity to help this neighborhood as well.

WHITFIELD: So for folk whose didn't know about you before now, perhaps they're thinking they want to get in touch with you and tap into that network, where do they go and find you?

KLEIN: Just come down to the Rancho Bernardo community center, the rec center and look for the desk that says Cedar fire survivors and all of the contact information are there and literature. And we're there. And we will be there for the future.

WHITFIELD: Ken Klein, coordinator of the cedar fire survivors. Thank you for your time. I know a lot of folks in this predicament have gotten a lot of great advice from you. Thanks so much.

KLEIN: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Checking news across America. Authorities in Minnesota say a 19-year-old suspect could be charged as early as today in the death of a would-be nanny. The body of Catherine Olson was found in her car Friday. Friends last saw her alive before she answered a Craig's List ad for a nanny's job.

Police are looking for two men they think fired shots last night in Northwest Missouri State University. No one was hurt but prompted a campus wide lockdown. It was lifted this morning.

And in Palm Beach County, Florida, investigators are examining debris from a small plane crash. A flight instructor and one student pilot were killed when their plane plunged into a golf course. They reported engine trouble before the crash. A second student pilot is in critical condition. That student pilot was also on board.

And no matter which side of the immigration debate you're on, here's a story that may have you scratching your head. New York is starting a three-tiered licensing program, issuing different kinds of driver's licenses depending on residency status. That means even illegal immigrants get one. The idea is spawning outrage and protests.

Here now is Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a controversial plan created by New York's Governor Eliot Spitzer. He said illegal immigrants in the state should get licenses. Immigrant groups liked the idea. But the Department of Homeland Security did not, calling it a security risk. Now a compromise for all licensed drivers in New York, whether illegal or not.

ELIOT SPITZER, GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK: In sum, this will be the most secure licensing system in the country.

CARROLL: Spitzer and Michael Chertoff announced there will be three licenses in New York. One will be for illegal immigrants. It requires they prove their state residence and it cannot be used to cross borders and it will be marked not for U.S. government purposes.

The second license is for U.S. Citizens and will be similar to the existing one except it will be harder to forge since it takes advantage of a DHS security program called Real I.D.

The third license will be available to U.S. citizens living in New York and allows them to cross the Canadian border without a passport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we what one single license for all New Yorkers? Yes. Do we want three different driver's license? No?

CARROLL: Immigrants rights groups say Spitzer betrayed them. They say asking illegal immigrants to prove state residency in order to get licenses will discourage many from applying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we are outraged at your flip-flopping and New Yorkers are ashamed to have someone like you as our governor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's time for us to stand up for sanity. New York has accepted our labor. It is time to recognize our humanity.

CARROLL: Those on the other side of the debate aren't satisfied either.

JAMES CARAFANO, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: I'm not sure what New York's doing. I'm not sure what the governor has intended. To say we need to incentivize people to live illegally in the United States doesn't pass common sense test to us.

CARROLL (on camera): The debate is now over, but those licenses are coming anyway, expected in New York sometime late next year.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you have heard that a certain place has no furry like a woman scorned. Well, here is a scorned woman, right there. And you won't believe how long she stewed in her fury before she did something about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Let's talk weather, extremes on both ends. Dry, hot weather and threats of fire on one side and then on the other side, now we're talking about tropical depression, tropical storm. I'm not sure what we're calling it. It does have a name, Noel.

Hillary Andrews has more on it.

HILLARY ANDREWS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It does. No matter what the name means, it's a tropical storm right now and we've seen strengthening over the past few hours.

Right now, looking at winds of 60 miles per hour. Notice this banding making its way through Haiti, the Dominican Republic where we could see up to a foot of rain. The rain will be the main problem as it makes its way into Cuba.

Now, by Tuesday, we will see it make landfall in Cuba. We could see Noel flirting with hurricane status, but the impact with land will weaken it and as it makes its way into the Atlantic, the majority of models curl it toward the east again, making Florida a very safe from any impact from noel. We're not even talking rain showers from Noel. So that's the good news there.

Meanwhile, high pressure really dominating most of the United States. So we'll be seeing things warm up in the Midwest. A little breezy and frosty in Boston and New York in the morning. But great sunshine. Los Angeles, a little bit of that morning fog to moisten up those fire areas -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: So it's fall and close to winter, just in case anyone forgot. Back to the chill.

ANDREWS: I know, back to Hurricane Headquarters.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Thanks a lot, Hillary.

Melissa Long is here with me right now. Much on the "NEWSROOM" straight ahead, more straight ahead.

MELISSA LONG, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Not until 11:00. We have an encore presentation of "Planet in Peril." I hope you will stay with us for that.

Coming up at 11:00 this evening, we'll be talking about Genarlow Wilson. We'll have more of the interview with Rick Sanchez sitting down with Genarlow Wilson. He is now free, of course, from prison. It has been a several-year saga. We'll speak with his attorney, B.J. Bernstein. We'll sit down with her and talk to her about what she's learned about the legal system. She's been an attorney for some 20 years. We'll find out more how she's gotten to know him and find out about the legal saga.

Also, of course, we'll continue to probe that fire in North Carolina. You've been talking about that a lot this hour. We'll continue to look into that and figure out what went wrong.

WHITFIELD: So sad. Seven young people dead. Still not clear why this fire took place. Here they were enjoying a weekend at the beach house there. And now their families get this horrible news. We'll be watching.

Melissa, thanks.

Well, you know what this is like, a woman scorned. It appears a Connecticut woman has been holding a grudge against her ex-boyfriend for eight years and her revenge police say involved the internet and adult websites. Owe, yeah, it's ugly.

The story from Katie Zachary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE ZACHARY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She spent countless hours typing, crafting fake and bogus profiles about her ex- boyfriend's wife and posted them for the world to see.

Waterford police say 34-year-old Pilar Stofega was trying to take revenge on an old boyfriend by going after his current wife. Stofega and the man dated eight years ago. Detectives say she created phony profiles of the woman on adult websites and included her home and work phone numbers and high school yearbook picture.

(on camera): But things took a turn when men reportedly started calling the woman's home, saying they had seen her on adult websites. (voice-over): That, we're told, prompted Stofega's ex to do his own Internet searching and reportedly uncovered the phony profiles and found his girlfriend from nearly ten years ago was behind it all.

Stofega told police she did it to be vindictive, knowing the profiles would create marital problems between her old boyfriend and his current wife.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Was it worth it in the end? Stofega has been charged with second-degree harassment and breach of peace. She was released on $2,500 bond.

Coming up next, check that big bold of headlines and its key words, "Royal targeted in sex and drugs, blackmail plot." Ouch, much of on that straight ahead in the "NEWSROOM".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Across the pond, have you heard about the royal sex and drug scandal shaking up Buckingham Palace? Check out the bold above the fold in Britain's "Sunday Times." Scotland Yard is holding two suspects of trying to blackmail the royal family for $100,000. They claimed to have a videotape of a member of the royal family engaged in a sex act, but not saying who.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DICKIE ARBITER, FORMER ROYAL PRESS SECRETARY: If it is true, it is serious. But you have to ask yourself, royal, where in the food chain is it? Because the royal family consists of nearly 40 members. You've got the queen at the top and the second and third cousins sort of in the middle and way down at the bottom. So where is this in the royal family chain in it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Still unclear. The paper also reports the alleged blackmailers claimed to have a royal aid on tape snorting cocaine that a royal family member supplied, they say.

So right now, it's called the National Football League. That you know. Could there be a name change? How about International Football League. You like it? Fan frenzy from the first-ever regular season game from outside North America. We have you intrigued, don't we?

That brings us to today's news quiz. How far do the Giants have to travel to get to the game in London? The answer when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A little football and travel trivia for you. Before the break, we asked you how far did the New York Giants from the travel to get to their game in London to play the Miami Dolphins? If you said about 3,460 miles, then you were right. That's how long the distance is between New York and London.

So some football of the yank persuasion at London's Wimberley Stadium today. Some NFL in the U.K. The fans were excited to see the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10 in the first-ever NFL regular season game played outside North America. The concept behind today's game, give Londoners a taste of real American football.

Recapping our top story this Sunday evening. Seven people are dead at a fire at a beach house near Wilmington, North Carolina. The house was filled with students from the University of South Carolina and Clemson.

In the past hour, we talked to the mayor of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, and we just heard from an official of South Carolina, all confirming seven people died from that blaze. It's believed six people, mostly students, were injure Friday the blaze. The cause of the fire unknown but we know the house was owned by the family of at least one of the students there.

Sadly now all these family members of these college kids are getting this horrible news about this tragic fire taking place there, this taking place during their fall break. Ordinarily during the summer, this Ocean Isle, North Carolina, community would be crowded. Instead, didn't have as many folks but eyewitnesses are being asked about their accounts. We'll continue to follow the developments there throughout the evening here on CNN.

That's going to do it for this hour of the "NEWSROOM." Much more of the "NEWSROOM" at 11:00 eastern with Melissa Long and news updates in-between.

"Lou Dobbs" begins right now.

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