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Malibu Wildfire; Holloway Case Arrests; Cruise Sinks in Antarctica
Aired November 24, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fire's much, much larger now. I just saw a flash on the TV screen and it's amazing how much it's changed.
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BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: News in southern California, Malibu burning once again. Our I-reporters and affiliates are on the scene this morning.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have evidence that she is dead. And I can tell you it's extra proof she is not alive anymore.
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T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. You did hear that man correctly. That's the prosecutor in Aruba saying Natalee Holloway it is dead. He also talked to us about the new evidence in this case. That interview with him coming up.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christmas is coming. We need to know.
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NGUYEN: A special consumer alert. Trouble in Toyland. So many recalls. Just what is the government doing to keep your family safe? We're keeping them honest.
HOLMES: Hello, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. The news is unfolding live this Saturday, the 24th of November. Hello to you all. I am T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
We do have some breaking news that we've been following out of southern California for you. A new fire disaster breaking out just four and a half hours ago. Look at these live pictures. Perhaps a dozen homes are burning outside of Malibu. You can ask see the smoke just billowing high above. One of those homes burned to the ground in literally 30 or 40 minutes. Flames just exploded from a small fire in Coral Canyon into this monster inferno you're looking at right now. Fire spread very quickly fuelled by fierce Santa Ana winds. Hundreds of homeowners have evacuated. Hundreds more are getting out now. Santa Ana winds could blow near hurricane strength today but are not expected to be as strong as the gusts that fuelled last month's devastating fires.
Want to go to the phone now and CNN's Kara Finnstrom who has been joining us in the past hour. Kara, I know that you've been watching the flames and the smoke as you've been traveling through the Malibu area. What is the situation on the ground? Are firefighters at least getting some kind of handle on this?
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fire has really, really grown, as you just mentioned, over the past few hours. This broke out around 3:30 this morning. We are now just pulling into the Malibu area. We've been en route from Los Angeles. We can see the smoke billowing out over the ocean. We can see aircrafts in the air. There have been fire engines blaring by us. We also have seen an ambulance that went by us. Reports are on the ground that one firefighter may have been injured.
We are driving right now to an area where we understand some homes are fully engulfed in flames. Fire captain Mike Brown now saying that about 1500 acres are burning. That's what he calls a major fire at this point. They have been able to get about 500 firefighters on the ground. He said at least ten helicopters and numerous other fixed-wing aircraft up in the air to try and get this blaze under control. But he pointed out repeatedly that this is wind driven. That's the big concern for them today.
I will tell you that where we are driving right now which is down right at the coast, we are not seeing those high gusts of wind. But it could be a completely different scenario up in those canyons. Firefighters have said winds have gusted up to 50 miles per hour. They've been able to clock them. And the forecast have been for winds up to 75 miles per hour. So that's the huge concern today as they try to continue to get this under control.
Right now we are passing through a checkpoint here in the Malibu area as we try to get a little bit closer to the area where this fire is actually burning. But Fire Captain Mike Brown urging everyone in this area to stay away from this if they can at all and people in the areas that have been affected, to listen for those mandatory evacuation orders because they want them to be able to get out of the way quickly should the fire continue to spread in areas which is very likely they're saying today that are very densely populated. Big concerns for people in the Malibu area at this hour.
NGUYEN: Well that leads to a question. You're talking about the densely populated areas, many of them we're watching some of the homes just burned to the ground. As we hear of these evacuations, are you seeing folks on the trail evacuating, people lined up trying to get out of neighborhoods? What are you seeing?
FINNSTROM: I'm not seeing that where we're driving right now, but they may be going out in other areas. We're heading specifically to this one area where we believe there may be a dozen homes burning right now.
One of the other concerns is there are reports on the ground and actually Fire Captain Mike Brown confirmed that at one point this fire has crossed PCH. That's a big deal because once it crosses PCH it's going to burn into more densely populated areas and of course because PCH is a major thoroughfare here for people to get in and out of the area.
As we get closer here Betty, can I can tell you too that the smoke is very thick. We've kind of just driven down across into a canyon area where you can see the smoke collected more. That's going to be a concern for people in this area as well.
NGUYEN: No doubt. It was a concern last time, last month when more than two dozen fires tore through southern California. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced from their homes at that time. 14 people died in those fires. As we're looking at this, people waking up watching this, they're saying not again. Wildfires just ripping through southern California.
You talk about that smoke, Kara. We're watching it from the air, and there is so much smoke just billowing, large plumes of it stretching for miles it appears. You said this fire has burned, what, 1500 acres so far?
FINNSTROM: 1500 acres so far and you know one of the things and as we're pulling up here, we can see a lot of fire trucks, Betty, just lined up. Now we're beginning to see a lot of the people here lined up along the road, firefighters asking people to stay away if they can but just watching as this fire burns down the hillside in front of us.
This is one of the areas that we're told by people on the ground that has not burned since 1996. So, yes, while we saw those huge fires last month, there are lots of pockets, lots of areas throughout Malibu that haven't burned. Those continue to be a big concern for firefighters.
NGUYEN: We were talking a little bit earlier, especially with the Thanksgiving holiday, a lot of people who survived those wildfires were just thankful that their home wasn't destroyed, yet they're waking up today and watching neighborhoods on once again and many people we've seen at least half a dozen homes burned to the ground. One in fact burned down very quickly, some 30 to 40 minutes is all it took. You're saying where you are that the winds aren't blowing as fast there, the gusts aren't in that 70-mile-per-hour range, correct?
FINNSTROM: Correct. Where we are, which is right next to the shore here, they are not. But you've got these canyons that really act as wind tunnels. You have those Santa Ana conditions so it's hard to say what conditions firefighters might face as they get up close to some of the places where this fire started and have burned down. It's actually been burning down from an area called Coral Canyon down towards the ocean. In some of those areas, in some of those passes in those canyons, those winds could be much higher. NGUYEN: Absolutely. Kara joining us live on the phone. I know you'll be covering this throughout the day.
If you look to the right, we've been showing you helicopters dousing these flames from the air. But what was so interesting is that firefighters really have a lot on their hands. In fact, their resources are running thin and these helicopters in fact are dipping into swimming pools in people's backyards to try to get some of the water that's needed to put out at least some of this wildfire. But again, at in point, T.J., there is zero containment.
HOLMES: Zero containment. Like we've been hearing, this is a wind-driven event that we're seeing right now. Keep an eye on those winds. We just heard there that the firefighters have been able to clock those winds up to 50 miles an hour. Some predicted, Bonnie Schneider, to be up to 75 miles per hour. Could it possibly get that high in those Santa Ana winds? How long will they possibly have to deal with winds that strong?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That would be the highest I think. It would mainly be in the canyons that Kara was just speaking of and driving up the Pacific Coast Highway. Really the winds are less as you head toward the coast. That's one of the differences between this fire situation and the one we had in October.
It's amazing how fast this fire has spread from 250 acres earlier this morning to over 1500 acres burning. Here is the Malibu Creek State Park. You're looking at Google Earth and what's happening is the wind is coming in from the northeast so the flames are blowing in that southwest direction. Even as far as LAX we're getting reports officially the visibility is reporting smoke.
I want to talk about the winds more specifically as we get into it. I can show you the areas highlighted in orange, those are the more inland areas in the canyons, in the passes. That's where the wind will be worse more so than the coastal areas of Los Angeles County. We're looking at some strong winds right now in Malibu Hills that are up to 52 miles per hour in terms of gusts, something we're clocking here minute by minute. We'll keep you up to date on those winds as they continue to be quite fierce -- T.J., Betty.
HOLMES: All right. Bonnie Schneider keeping an eye on that. We appreciate you staying on top of that for us this morning. It's certainly a mess on their hands out there with those strong Santa Ana winds. We're going to keep an eye on this story. Certainly the wildfires happening in southern California.
Other developments in stories this morning to tell you about, a third suspect in jail in Aruba today in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. 20-year-old Joran Van Der Sloot arrived last night on a flight from the Netherlands where he attends college. He and two other suspects being questioned regarding Natalee Holloway. She is the Alabama teenager who disappeared in Aruba some two years ago now.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has made her way to Aruba. She has the latest developments. It could be a major break in the story, one that certainly her family has been waiting on for quite some time, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, T.J. Not only her family but, of course, the family of the three suspects. They're also wondering when is this all going to end? Of course the family of Natalee Holloway wants to know what really happened to their daughter. It's been a whirlwind for the three young men who were rearrested on Wednesday of this week based on new evidence; new information that could lead to a manslaughter trial in the case of Natalee Holloway who disappeared during a high school graduation trip to Aruba.
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CANDIOTTI: Late Friday, Joran Van Der Sloot returned to Aruba from the Netherlands under police escort. Believed to be in the middle car, he was rushed out of the airport and back to jail. On Monday, he is scheduled to appear before a judge in a closed-door jailhouse hearing. Authorities who will ask a judge to hold Van Der Sloot at least another eight days under suspicion of manslaughter in the death of Natalee Holloway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we have enough evidence to prove that the girl is not alive anymore.
CANDIOTTI: Even without a body?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CANDIOTTI: Holloway was last seen leaving a bar with Van Der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers more than two years ago. In interviews, Van Der Sloot denied accusations of rape and murder and said he regretted leaving Holloway alone on a beach.
JORAN VAN DER SLOOT, MURDER SUSPECT: At that moment in time, for me it wasn't the wrong thing. I mean it's not something a real man would do. It's not normal. It's not right at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He always denied he was involved in this case. He has his own truth and we think our truth and the real truth is other than his truth.
CANDIOTTI: Earlier Friday, a judge oversaw separate jailhouse appearances for two other suspects, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, who've also denied harming Holloway. The judge ruled there's enough new so- called incriminating evidence to detain the brothers eight days for more interrogations. Defense attorneys weren't happy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no new evidence. They don't have (INAUDIBLE).
CANDIOTTI: A chief prosecutor won't reveal what the new evidence is. CNN in has learned a new team of Dutch and Aruben investigators have been recreating cell phone transmissions and text messages among the suspects after Holloway disappeared. Discrepancies allegedly were found.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We used state of the art technology in reviewing this case. That's clear, and it will be sad if we didn't do that. So that's what happened. We used state of the art stuff from the Netherlands brought in here to analyze the whole investigation again.
CANDIOTTI: Authorities say some information initially wasn't improperly analyzed or overlooked. The chief prosecutor says by year's end, he hopes to decide whether to try the three young men for manslaughter. If found guilty, they'd face 15 years in prison.
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CANDIOTTI: Van Der Sloot's mother told a CNN affiliate that they think the prosecutors are simply looking for someone to hang. Prosecutors insist that is not the case, that they are simply going over some old information and gathering new evidence before making a final decision what to did about this case.
T.J., this is the first time that I have heard prosecutors acknowledge that they made some mistakes when this case first broke out. A lot of things happened in the beginning. He said they were overwhelmed. He won't call it inexperience. He won't call it anything else. But this is important to recognize, it's a brand new team that's been brought in to work on this for the past six months. They say they want to bring things to a head one way or the other.
Back to you.
HOLMES: A brand new team, fresh eyes with some maybe fresh results here as well. Susan Candiotti in Aruba for us. Susan thank you so much. And again, there is new evidence but no body in the case so how will the case advantage advance? I asked those questions to Aruba's prosecutor. We'll have his answers for you coming up here shortly.
NGUYEN: Also, an unsinkable ship hits an iceberg. Sound familiar? Only it didn't happen in 1912. It happened this week. Passengers aboard an Adventure cruise ship are rescued. We have their story of survival. That's next.
HOLMES: And another story of survival happening out in California. Once again, southern California Malibu on fire. Live picture here coming to us from our affiliate. That smoke is such that you can't even make out the flames and the fire going on underneath there. We are keeping an eye. Homes on fire. Evacuations under way in several areas. Fire is expanding. It's getting larger and larger. No sign of containment any time soon with the Santa Ana winds fanning those flames. We are all over that story.
Stay here. We will keep you updated.
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NGUYEN: Sure, they're astronauts but today they are doubling as electricians and plumbers. Live pictures now. Two astronauts are wiring a new room for space station this hour. The module about the size of a school bus will be docking a port for a European lab called Columbus. It's supposed to be delivered by the shuttle next month.
HOLMES: Well, they're on top of the world but at the bottom of the world this morning, turbo passengers are safe and dry. They're waiting for flights home. Their ship hit ice off Antarctica. That led to a scary and cold 3 hours of bobbing in lifeboats.
Carol Costello has the details of the rescue.
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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She's touted as a ship that can go where over others cannot, designed to navigate the heavy icy waters in the Antarctic, giving her passengers a chance to see incredible beauty. According to the Time Online of London, passengers paid $8,000 per cabin for what was billed as an adventure cruise. They sure got one. The ship hit ice and like the Titanic, the Explorer began taking on water in the ship's engine room. The ice punched a fist-sized hole in the ship's hull.
SUSAN HAYES, GAP ADVENTURES SPOKESWOMAN: The water began leaking in but it was a very slow process. The pumps were managing the water quite well for several hours.
COSTELLO: But the sea won and the captain ordered 100 passengers to board the lifeboats. A rescue effort was mounted by British, Argentine, Chilean and U.S. Coast Guards.
MIKE MULFORD, ROYAL AIR FORCE RESCUE AND SEARCH: You cannot underestimate how difficult it is when a ship gets into trouble somewhere like the Antarctic. You've got cold. You've got distance. You've got the fact that there will be no helicopters locally.
COSTELLO: And even though it's spring in Antarctica, it is bitterly cold. These pictures were taken about a nearby ship. The temperature hovered around 24 degrees Fahrenheit. The water temperature was around 34 degrees.
HAYES: The captain stayed on. Initially the passengers were led into the lifeboats. The captain stayed on. The crew stayed on. They were the last to actually leave.
COSTELLO: They left only when it was clear the ship was sinking. For up to three frigid hours, 154 passengers and crew huddled in their life rafts until a Norwegian ship was able to rescue them. Capt. Arvid Hansen told the Times Online, "They were wet and cold when they came aboard. None of them have hypothermia." In fact, all are just fine and waiting for a plane to take them home.
Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.
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HOLMES: Well, those passengers are potential I-reporters. Once they get back on dry land, we hope to possibly see some of their pictures in our I-reports. And you can too send us your I-reports. Logon to CNN.com/ireport. NGUYEN: We are seeing a lot of this today. Homes on fire in Malibu, California. Firefighters are having a really tough time trying to get a handle on this fire. It's been burning there for about four hours now, and the winds are making it very, very difficult. This fire has charred some 1500 acres at this point. 500 firefighters are on the scene but they are needing backup as well.
Because when we talk about those Santa Ana winds, they've been gusting at points to 50 and some say up to 70 miles per hour today. We want to get the latest on the weather out there and when these winds may actually die down and help the firefighters out.
Let's take it over to Bonnie Schneider who is in the severe weather center. She's been watching this. Bonnie, this is not going to last all day long, correct, when we talk about the Santa Ana winds?
SCHNEIDER: Absolutely. I think that the winds will start to diminish by 3:00. Even by noon, we'll see a little bit less intensity. I haven't been able to find any 70-mile-per-hour gusts per say but it's possible in the canyons and in the passes that they may get maybe not 70 but to 60 miles per hour. We've had gusts of 52 miles per hour that are occurring right now in and around the Malibu Hills area. If you're wondering where that is in relation to the fire, it's kind of to the north of it.
Here is where the fire originally started, and that's near the Malibu Creek State Park in and around Mesa Peak. Originally early this morning, 3:30, that was about 250 acres. Now we're talking over 1500 acres. The fire has been spreading to the south and southwest from where it started because the winds are coming from the northeast. They're moving in this direction. We've had reports in and around LAX of smoke sightings as far south as that. So currently Malibu, the temperature's now going up as we get to daylight. We've got 59 degrees.
Winds are pretty strong out of the northeast at 24 miles per hour. The winds continue to spread the flames across the brush that still exists that hasn't burned in previous fires, and then up the areas through the branches. They jump from tree to tree or house to house in this case. You can see how these flames become airborne in this animation. That's exactly what we're seeing happening live as you can see by these live pictures courtesy of our affiliate KABC out of Malibu -- Betty?
NGUYEN: What a mess they have on their hands there. You know a lot of people, Bonnie, are just waking up saying, not again. We just made it through the wildfires of last month. Some two dozen wildfires to be exact tore across southern California, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes while hundreds have been forced from their homes today. We saw at least a handful of homes burning to the ground in only four hours of this. I'm sure as we get a look at some of the other areas, unfortunately, we'll probably going to see more of that. But we're going to stay on top of the wildfires in California and give you the latest as soon as the developments come into CNN.
HOLMES: Folks this is something you can't imagine. It's something you hear about in the history books, if you will, of this country, in the history of this country. Somebody walking out of your home, finding a cross burning on your front lawn. Yes, this happened recently.
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KLARA ARTOPE, CORTLANDT, N.Y. RESIDENT: For us, traumatic for our children.
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HOLMES: A family searches for answers while police searching for suspects.
NGUYEN: Also, the holiday shopping season is here so do you know the toys you're buying for your kids? Do you know if they're safe? Coming up, what you need to know to protect your children.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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HOLMES: Well, we've seen these stories, nooses cropping up around the story in recent weeks. Well today, police are looking into a cross burning in a New York City suburb. Here now Glen Thompson with affiliate WPIX.
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GLEN THOMPSON, WPIX: Wes and Klara Artope point to the spot where they found a burning cross shocking the parents of five the evening before Thanksgiving.
WES ARTOPE, CORTLANDT, N.Y. RESIDENT: I ran out to see where the fire was coming from. As I came closer, I noticed a cross burning and another fire right there.
ARTOPE: We were just, you know, more concerned about how our kids feel. I mean, we're adults. We're just trying to explain things to them and have them feel, you know, more comfortable. It was shocking for us, and traumatic for our children.
THOMPSON: The couple believes the racial incident was sparked by a fight their son had with two white and a Hispanic student at Hendrick Hudson High School earlier that day. This isn't the first time this school has been at the center of controversy. In June, as many as 16 students broke into the school after hours and planted fake bombs. Authorities are taking this latest incident very seriously.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If and when we do make an arrest and we do anticipate making an arrest in this case, the person or persons will be charged with first of all aggravated harassment in the first degree, which is a felony which makes it illegal to set fire to a cross in public view.
THOMPSON: For now, Klara and Wes are taking extra precautions hoping the cross burning incident isn't a sign of things to come.
ARTOPE: My two youngest ones, 9 and 4, they go to catholic school. They are used to praying to the cross and seeing the cross in a more positive manner. Just seeing a cross on fire is just something altogether different. I don't know how you explain it.
THOMPSON: In Westchester County, I'm Glen Thompson.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: In other news, two years after an American teen disappears in Aruba, the prosecutor in the case tells CNN why he thinks Natalee Holloway is dead.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It should be a time you enjoy going out shopping, buying gifts for the kids. But all these fears about toys can get in the way so coming up we're going to tell you what to watch out for and good bets for little ones. That's just a few minutes away.
HOLMES: All right. Thank you, Josh. We'll see you soon.
And this is a story we're keeping an eye on in southern California. Malibu burning once again, a month after devastating fires out there in southern California. Once again, homes are being evacuated. Homes are burning. And a huge fire right now is not contained. We are following the story. Live picture here of one structure that is on fire in southern California in Malibu. Stay with us with the very latest.
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NGUYEN: Take a look. We are watching disaster unfold live in southern California. One after another, homes are going up in flames outside Malibu this hour. Wind is driving this fire. Firefighters just can't to seem to get ahead of it. Flames exploding from a small fire in Coral Canyon into this monster inferno. You're just seeing a little bit of it right here.
But so far, this wildfire is covering some 1,500 acres, hundreds of homeowners on the run. We want to get you now the San Diego fire spokesperson Maurice Luque who joins us on the phone. And I know Maurice, as a lot of people especially there in southern California, look at this wildfire that is burning out of control, especially for the folks in San Diego, they have to be on edge.
MAURICE LUQUE, SPOKESMAN, SAN DIEGO FIRE DEPT (on phone): Oh, they are, they are. I mean, this is to coin an old phrase, deja vu all over again based on what happened a month ago in these other fires that came through San Diego and destroyed a lot of homes and resulted in the deaths of over eight people. So yes, we're very, very concerned. We're on high alert. Our fire crews have been told to be at the ready to come in off duty. They all have their equipment with them so they can report to anywhere they're needed.
NGUYEN: What are you telling residents? I know it's still a ways away. But as you recall last month, you know it much better than I do because you faced it, some two dozen wildfires tore across southern California, 14 people total died in that. What are you telling residents today as they just wait, watch and hope for the best?
LUQUE: We're telling them not to wait to get a reverse 911 call or have officers come through the neighborhoods to tell them to evacuate. We tell them, if they see smoke, they feel unsafe, get out and get out fast. Make sure they have a plan, make sure they have a plan to know exactly what they're going to take with them so there's no stalling around trying to determine what they want to take with them.
Make sure they know where they're going to go, that they have a set meeting point that the family has agreed upon. And also key -- if they have a single point of contact out of the city, out of the county perhaps that all of those family members can check in with and make sure that everybody is accounted for.
NGUYEN: You know, it sounds like lessons have been learned from the wildfires last month. When I listen to you talk about these plans. But as you look to the firefighters who are trying to get some kind of containment on the Malibu fire, we're talking about winds that are gusting at 50 miles-per-hour, some are saying even up to 70 in some points. What would you say is the best bet at this point after facing the fires that you did last month?
LUQUE: Well, in fires that blow through at such high velocities and we saw them gust in that last fire, 80 miles-an-hour. There's not a lot you can do in those kinds of conditions. You really didn't can't.
You focus on saving lives. You focus on maybe saving some properties that you can. But the fire crews have all been trained to kind of look out for themselves, too. Their personal safety comes first so they have to always have in mind an escape route, an evacuation route.
And again, this is another example of why people should evacuate when they sense danger or they get the notice because firefighters do, as we've seen, put themselves at risk to go rescue people who have decided not to evacuate.
NGUYEN: Well you know a home is just another possession, but it is your home. When we're looking at these live pictures like we are coming from Malibu, it seems like this fire, the embers from it have blown into so many directions and we're watching individual homes burn to the ground.
It doesn't seem like there's any one around, the firefighters maybe because of safety concerns can't get there. And as a home owner, you've got to feel helpless. You've got to feel like can I do something? I mean, just to sit there and watch it burn to the ground is just heart wrenching.
LUQUE: Well, it is. It is. And what happens and what we've found in these lessons learned with these recent fires, plus the cedar fire that burned through San Diego County four years ago, is that a lot of times the embers that are being blown by winds up to 50, 60, 70, 80 miles-an-hour, these embers get into the eves, they get into every nook and cranny under the eves of a home or they blow through the vent holes that are for the attic, they get up there.
The embers smolder for a while. Fire crews go through. There's no apparent homes on fire when they first go through a neighborhood. But later after they've left the neighborhood, those smoldering embers in the attic underneath the eves, underneath the roof then start the house on fire. And there's no one around to put it out.
NGUYEN: Yes and it's just out of control at that point. Let me ask you this. Just on a personal note, this fire has been burn for about four hours now. It's charred at least 1,500 acres, being swept up by the Santa Ana winds. What is your biggest concern, what is your biggest fear as you watch this? I'm sure when you woke up today you said, not again.
LUQUE: Exactly. I wasn't the only one who was saying it throughout the department and probably the citizens of San Diego and San Diego County are saying "not again."
Because this is the scenario that played out last month. The fires broke out up there in Malibu. A lot of resources, a lot of personnel and equipment from various agencies responded to that fire. Resources that San Diego would have used when our fire broke out, so when the fires broke out in Malibu, we were left with the fire to fight with just what we have, which isn't enough in situations like that.
So we're just kind of hoping and praying that the winds do not materialize down here, that we have no fires, and there's no need for additional resources down here if something breaks. Again, it's a very tense, nervous situation.
NGUYEN: No doubt. Maurice, I know that you have crews on standby ready to assist and ready to fight the fires should they come your way. Hopefully they won't. But as we're watching, it's moving very quickly. Maurice Luque, with the San Diego fire department, we do appreciate your time today. Thank you.
LUQUE: Thank you very much.
HOLMES: He mentioned there being a tense and nervous event. Tense and nervous because of these winds, that they can do nothing about. These Santa Ana winds that are fanning these flames in a major way. The example we heard earlier from one of the firefighters, it's like putting a huge hairdryer on these flames and blowing hot air at some 50-plus miles an hour. Bonnie Schneider has been in the Weather Center clocking these things for us. How high are those gusts getting out there, Bonnie?
SCHNEIDER: They're actually going up, unfortunately, T.J. Gusts right now in Malibu Hills are up to 59 miles-per-hour. You have to realize just two hours ago, those gusts were at 49, then about an hour ago, 52. So they just jumped up to 59 miles-per-hour. And in regards to Malibu Hills, that's of course right in the heart of where all these fires are burning, the fires started near Malibu Creek State Park blowing in a southwest direction, with the winds coming from the northeast.
And as those winds come down the mountain, you're right T.J., they do heat like a hot hairdryer and really fan about the flames. The flames right now as you mentioned are extending over 1,000 acres. And it looks like we're going to continue to see the winds throughout the day today, those Santa Ana winds burning and blowing about. T.J.?
HOLMES: All right so we have to deal with them at least through today. So we just need to survive this one. We might be OK, huh?
SCHNEIDER: It looks like the critical fire danger will continue until tomorrow morning because that's when we'll start to see more of an onshore flow with winds coming in off the ocean bringing more moist air. So originally we thought this would be very, very short-lived. Now it looks like it will extend through today, through tonight and possibly into tomorrow morning.
HOLMES: Oh my goodness, Bonnie Schneider. Thank you so much for keeping an eye on this for us. And folks you can see what we're seeing here, these live pictures continue to come in to us. And that just breaks your heart. Oh, my goodness.
Malibu, California, we're seeing here. This is what we've been seeing this morning as these pictures started to come in. The fire is in one place, this huge 1,500-acre fire at least now that we're being told about.
The problem is those winds are fanning these flames and blowing these embers and starting fires in neighborhoods and elsewhere. You can see individual homes. You can make out block by block essentially, lot by lot of fire. We've been watching these pictures and literally watching these people's lives and their livelihoods go up in smoke and up in flames there in Malibu, California. We're keeping an eye on this Betty.
NGUYEN: I was going to say, if we can look at that picture, it looks like the camera shot is pulling out, but you could see at least three different fire units there in that neighborhood, and you can could see an area where they were putting water on the fire, but it wasn't doing anything.
That's the problem. The winds are just so strong that you can try to spray water on a particular area, but the winds will even pick that up and move it to another spot, so you're not actually able to fight that fire as you would on a normal basis and try to gain some ground.
Yeah, it is just devastating to sit there and watch your home burn to the ground and know that the firefighters are doing all that they can. At this point, there is zero containment. Of course, we're going to continue to follow this throughout the day. You want to stay here, CNN breaking news of the wildfires in Malibu.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, so if holiday shopping weren't stressful enough, now you have to worry about whether this year's toys are safe for your kids.
HOLMES: Josh Levs in Washington D.C. actually this morning, he has made his way up there. He has been looking into this trouble in toyland. It's supposed to be a happy place, this toyland. No trouble there.
LEVS: I know, good morning, guys. It's true, that's the whole point, people are supposed to be having fun with this. You're supposed to be able to go out and really enjoy the process of buying toys for your kids. So what we're doing for you right now is we're going to do our best to boil down for you what you need to know.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): You know the scary stories, the health worries, the almost daily announcements of new recalls.
ROBERT ECKERT, MATTEL CEO: Our systems were circumvented and our standards were violated. We were let down. And we let you down.
LEVS: Manufactures promised tough new steps, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission says, "Toys are undergoing more inspection and scrutiny than ever."
Still, the reality is...
MIKE LEAVITT, HHS SECRETARY: We'll never inspect our way to safety. What we can do is make certain that products that come into the United States are certified as safe and that people are using best practices.
LEVS: The needed changes could take a long time. So, what do you do for buying gifts?
Compare your shopping list to the recall lists and print out photos and descriptions to bring with you. But there are so many recalled toys, it's overwhelming. More than 60 different toys, including 25 million units, were recalled this year. And toys not listed could be recalled in the future.
So, what else can you do? Officials say buy age-appropriate toys. Generally, younger kids put toys in their mouths and could swallow paint chips containing lead or choke on small parts. So, look at age labels.
And speaking of labels, while most recalled toys were manufactured in China, don't assume toys made in other countries are automatically safer. They may not be.
"Consumer Reports" suggests these as good bets for little kids: board and picture books; unpainted wooden toys; balls; non-toxic paints and crayons; and washable stuffed animals. If you're concerned your children may have been exposed to lead, the government says get a blood test, since most kids with elevated levels of lead in their blood show no symptoms.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: Oh sweetheart, yes, it's not easy. But tests can help.
Now the government also says the main source for lead exposure for kids is not toys. It's actually chips of lead paint in old houses or some dust or soil contaminated with lead that kids might swallow. So while you're being vigilant about what toys you buy, officials say you should also be sure to take a good look around the house and keep the toys you already have clean. Guys?
NGUYEN: Good advice there. Thank you Josh, appreciate it.
HOLMES: All right folks, you know this live picture we're going to take you to now. We've been watching this all morning long. Happened around 3:30 a.m. local time there in Malibu, California, when this fire got started. It started out as a 100-acre fire, then jumped to 300, then 400. And then the last update we got was at least a 1,500-acre fire going on in Malibu, California, right now.
You're seeing a live picture there on the left. Also on the right, I assume what we're seeing here, we're seeing a fixed-wing aircraft and also helicopters helping out dropping water and helping out put out some of these flames.
NGUYEN: That plane right there is a DC-10 loaded with fire retardant. We've been watching firefighters use just whatever resources they could get their hands on.
But it's been really kind of difficult this morning as this fire has moved so quickly. Not only are we seeing this plane with fire retardant, but we've also seen helicopters dip into swimming pools in people's backyards trying to pick up whatever water they can to douse some of these flames.
But as you mentioned, this thing is burning so fast, T.J. And at this point, there is zero containment. We're going to stay all over these fires.
HOLMES: And yes, and another thing we're seeing, you can't see in these pictures, but it's a huge fire going. But another problem it's causing is these flames are fanning these flames and carrying some of these embers into neighborhoods and homes are catching on fire.
We have seen maybe at this point up to, I would imagine, even dozens at this point by now. Certainly homes fully engulfed at this point. We'll have those pictures for you, updates on the fire happening in Malibu when we get back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: We are continuing to follow those new developments out of Aruba where three suspects now in custody in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Deepak and Sadish Kalpoe and Joran van der Sloot were first arrested after the Alabama teenager disappeared back in May of 2005. They were rearrested this week when an interview this morning, Aruba's chief prosecutor told me there is new evidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS MOS, CHIEF PROSECUTOR: Well, I think we have enough evidence to be able to prove that she is dead. Whether it will be proof beyond a reasonable doubt, that's a question to us is very hard to assess what the judge will say about this, but we have evidence that she is dead and I can tell you with any day that passes now is extra proof that she is not alive anymore.
HOLMES: What can you tell us about this new evidence? I know you have a case to build, but give us as much as you can about what this new evidence is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would love to do that, but under this law, we are very restricted in telling you guys what the new evidence is because the suspects have to be confronted with this new evidence. We asked the judge to give an order not to give the same evidence to all the three suspects so they got different police reports with evidence pertaining to them individually.
If I would expose on the new evidence, the lawyers would hear and the suspects would hear what the other evidence would be that was pertaining to the other suspects. So, I have to be very careful on that because then they would have all this information in advance and the questioning would be rather useless.
HOLMES: Mr. Mos explain to us, tell us this at least. Is this new evidence, brand new evidence that you didn't have when the suspects were first arrested after her disappearance or is this the same evidence that's getting a fresh look?
MOS: No, under Dutch law that would not be allowed. We couldn't sort of whitewash our old evidence and produce it as new evidence. That's not allowed under Dutch Law. So what we have is new and of course we reevaluated the old file too and that came up with new leads but that cannot count into the decision of the judge. He does need new evidence. And that's exactly what we produced to the judge.
HOLMES: And how did this come about? How did you find this new evidence? Was it just a matter of getting new investigators with a new set of eyes on it?
MOS: Well, that was a very important step for us because, as I told you before, this investigation came to sort of a standstill by the middle of 2006 because investigators who were busy with this case from the beginning sort of didn't see anything anymore. Then you ask someone else to look at it with a fresh view. That's what Dutch investigators did. They found new leads, they found new questions and they investigated them earlier this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The Kalpoe brothers appeared before the judge yesterday. Van der Sloot who arrived in Aruba last night scheduled for a court appearance on Monday.
NGUYEN: We've also been following those fires in California, wildfires just burning out of control. I know Fred you're going to be following that as well.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We are. Good morning to both of you. It started out with 400 acres. That was alarming enough. Now it's grown to 1,500 acres and so many houses that have just been simply charred. And you can see right here in these live shots, they are trying their aerial assaults, but it a holiday weekend so resources are limited too. But folks are coming in from all parts to help out in these devastating fires. It's a repeat of what we just saw last month.
Meantime, let's talk about some inspiration this holiday weekend. We want you to meet a 4-year-old boy, that one right there, who is inspiring so many other amputees. Yes, he's 4, he's an amputee, even though he's running like that. And where is he inspiring so many amputees? Well, none other than the Walter Reed Army Medical Facility there in Washington, D.C. We're going to tell you about his story as to how he's getting therapy right alongside war vets of Afghanistan and Iraq.
NGUYEN: Boy, he is cute. That hasn't slowed him down one bit.
WHITFIELD: I know. It's a really great story. The whole family is going to be joining us.
NGUYEN: Oh, I can't wait for that.
HOLMES: I love that picture with him running.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Barbara Starr who is covering this story, she said when she first met the little boy, he's running and he's yelling train, train. So he's got his prosthetic is decorated with Thomas the Tank Engine train. He loves trains.
NGUYEN: How cute.
WHITFIELD: It's really cute.
HOLMES: It is a great story. Fred, thank you. We'll see you shortly.
WHITFIELD: All right, have a good day.
HOLMES: And folks, we are keeping an eye on the fires out in southern California. You're seeing here a picture of one of the planes being used to launch that air assault as Fredricka just mentioned. We are all over this story, keeping an eye on southern California, Malibu specifically burning once again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We are continuing to keep an eye on those fires out in southern California, Malibu specifically, fires that are growing, houses on fire, people being evacuated. Mike Jarvis with Calfire is on the line with us here now. Mike, hope you can hear me. Tell us, we've been watching these pictures, give us the updates. How large is this fire now? The last we heard was 1,500 acres. Is it growing?
MIKE JARVIS, PIO, CALFIRE: Well, it's hard to get an accurate number in the early stages, mainly because everybody is kind of trying to get a fix and moving equipment around.
But we're hearing initial numbers out of L.A. County at about 1,500. Those numbers will go up and down depending upon how much they get out with the initial attack. There's an old firefighter told me one time, if you want the numbers to shrink, just add water.
So you've got people doing kind of a quick analysis on how many acres they think it is. And that gets difficult especially when you get up in the hills and canyons. I think L.A. County probably is at the top of the hour, they usually like to give you at least some type of update.
NGUYEN: And Mike, this is Betty Nguyen here in Atlanta. Let me ask you this, we've been following this and watched several homes burn to the ground. Do you have a number on how many are on fire and have indeed burned?
JARVIS: I've got initial report from L.A. County that's unconfirmed of 35 homes. This is actually L.A. County's fire. We're bringing in assets and assisting. We've actually prepositioned some strike teams in various locations in southern California. In anticipation of the Santa Ana winds, we put hundreds of firefighters down there with equipment and aircraft in anticipation just because we knew the likelihood of this happening with these winds. It does not take a lot when you have this strong of winds to start a fire.
HOLMES: Sir, what's the threat? How far out? We had a firefighter on earlier that said a home could be -- a mile away from the source, from the main fire, some of these Santa Ana winds, embers start falling on them and still start fires. How far out is the threat, would you say? And how far out are some of the homes that we're seeing burn from the actual fire?
JARVIS: Well, it really depends upon the topography and landscape. We had people complaining in southern California during these fires last month that said, we were five miles away. You couldn't even see the smoke. Or you could see the smoke and they were asking us to evacuate. We don't take any chances. If people tell you to evacuate, people need to listen to law enforcement and firefighters and get out of there. And if some of this stuff that I was looking at this morning, I was looking at footage there on CNN of it spotting forward, which means it was basically jumping, casting embers quite a distance ahead of the winds.
The other problem with these winds is that it doesn't look like they're consistent. It looks like they're swirling and that causes even more problems because you really have no predictability on it.
NGUYEN: Yes, which is why we've seen homes on fire in different areas, and it's not even near where the main part of the wildfire is. Mike Jarvis with Calfire on the phone for us today, bringing us up to speed on how much of California has burned because of this wildfire. We do thank you for your time and we do want to let our viewers know that we're going to stay on top of this story throughout the day.
In fact, the NEWSROOM continues with Fredricka Whitfield. She joins us now.
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