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Blast and Fire Destroy California Neighborhood; Koran Burning On Hold Again; Winds in San Bruno Hampering Efforts to Fight Fire After Gas Explosion; Ground Zero Worker Develops Cancer, Gets Small Settlement; 4,600-Mile Run for 9/11 Victims; No Instruments, Use Pencils
Aired September 10, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys, and thanks.
We're going to get right to the breaking news in San Bruno, California. The neighborhood fire there has been burning for almost 12 hours now. Natural gas feeding it. And that fire is still so intense that crews can't even look for victims yet.
At least three people are reported dead. That fire captain expects the numbers to rise, too. More than two dozen have been hurt and more than 100 homes damaged. It started with a ruptured gas line and then a huge explosion.
A team with the NTSB is headed to see what exactly went wrong. Emergency crews, the Red Cross, doctors, nurses and neighbors have mobilized to help the people whose lives were just turned upside down in a flash.
And the blast and fire was so strong, so sudden and so intense people barely had time to react. One survivor said that the car bumper actually melted as he was racing away.
CNN's Dan Simon is in San Bruno and he's talking with survivors -- Dan?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. We are in the parking lot of a shopping mall. You can see this Red Cross disaster services vehicle behind me. This is where many of the evacuees have shown up throughout the night.
What authorities want these neighbors to do is to come here, state their address, let them know that they are OK, but the bottom line is we're not really going to know how many fatalities we're looking at until fire crews can go into all those homes that burned down one by one and check for themselves.
Right now according to the "Los Angeles Times," six people dead. As you mentioned, this fire broke out right now about 12 hours ago just after 6:00 p.m. local time. This is a time when many people have come home from work and that's one of the reasons why authorities believe that that death toll is going to climb because in all likelihood so many people were home.
I want you to listen now to one neighbor who left her house just as the flames were getting close. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: Did you hear the explosion?
JUDY SERRESSQUE, EVACUEE: Oh, yes. Yes. It was huge. It felt like an earthquake. A big one. And I got scared. I mean I felt them before, but this one was -- the whole house shook.
And I got up to go into a doorway and my living room filled with an orange glow. And when I went to my front door, glass front, I looked out and everything was just flames.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: We had a chance ourselves to get very close to the flames and what we saw was just utter devastation. It's a bit of a cliche to say this but it really did look like a movie set.
We were at an area at least what we thought was close to ground zero and just everything in front of us was leveled. And what really made an impact on us is that in the streets, blocks away from the ground zero area, we saw these chunks of concrete.
So it was apparent that the explosion just caused much of the -- much of the street, just to rip apart and hurling these blocks of concrete just blocks away. It was just an unbelievable thing to see -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And, Dan, what do we know about PG&E? We've been trying to get information about apparently a number of these people for a while had been smelling gas in the neighborhood.
Do we have any idea if PG&E has been coming out there to check the gas lines? Are they taking responsibility for this? Do they have an investigative team? What do we know with regard to how this started and how it got to this, you know, horrific point?
SIMON: Well, we do know that some neighbors say that they had detected an odor of gas there for three weeks. And according to one neighbor, PG&E actually came out and investigated and told this particular neighbor to go inside and shut his doors because the company was concerned for his safety and for the neighbor's safety.
But the neighbor said the gas odor persisted. Now we talked to PG&E. We asked them about that. They say at this point they can't really comment on it. The spokesperson didn't have enough knowledge about that.
But you're really raising the central question here. Had this been a lingering problem? Did PG&E know about it and were they negligent?
What PG&E is telling us is that if they are indeed responsible for this, they will take full responsibility. That's what they're saying now. But no official word from them confirming that there was this presence or some sort of gas leak going on for many, many days -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Got it. Well, we'll keep digging into that and investigating the cause. Of course.
Dan Simon, thanks so much.
And as we said, that fire has been burning for almost 12 hours now. Take a look at this iReport from Jason Del Rosario. He shot this video not long after the explosion. Before the fire started whipping through most of the neighborhood.
We're going to have more pictures like this over the next couple of hours. And also coming up at 9:30 Eastern Time, we are going to talk to a representative from PG&E.
All right, let's give you an idea where San Bruno is. It's basically a suburb of San Francisco. It's in San Mateo County. That's just south of the city. The neighborhood that we're talking about is a couple of miles from San Francisco International Airport.
And we're expecting California's lieutenant governor to also talk more about what's happening in San Bruno, the latest on the firefighting effort, the evacuees, and also the investigation.
We're going to listen in on that news conference in less than an hour about 10:00 Eastern Time and bring you all the updates from that.
New this morning. The planned Koran burning in Florida is on hold again. Pastor Terry Jones says that at the moment he and his congregation do not plan to burn some 200 copies of the Islamic holy book tomorrow on the anniversary of 9/11, but this comes as international protests boil over.
Reuters is reporting that a protester in Afghanistan was reportedly shot and killed outside a German-run NATO base where thousands of people were reportedly rallying against the planned Koran burning.
A lot of late-breaking developments from Florida and around the globe.
John Zarrella joining us live from Gainesville to try and give us a clear picture.
You know, this guy just can't seem to make up his mind. He's looking like a clown either way he goes on this, John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kyra, and Pastor Terry Jones just came out about 30 minutes ago and talked to the gathering of the media here. And he was asked -- in fact, I asked him, I said, so are you going to New York? And he said yes, I'm going to New York. I am going to New York today for a meeting tomorrow.
He has not gotten confirmation, though, he said that that meeting will take place. But he insists that -- in his words -- they can't deny me a meeting. Then I asked him, I said, well, there reports out that you have said that no matter what happens in New York, even if there is no deal, that you will not go ahead with the Koran burning.
Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. TERRY JONES, DOVE WORLD OUTREACH CENTER: We are seriously, seriously, seriously considering not burning the Korans. That is absolutely right.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sir --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: With all due respect, sir, those kind of sound like weasel words. Are you or aren't you?
JONES: Well, we are hoping that we can come to a conclusion.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you going to burn the Korans or not?
JONES: We're actually not prepared to answer that right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: So, again, while on the one hand he's saying he's seriously, seriously considering not, he's still not ready to unequivocally say that it will not happen at some point. And clearly if he's in New York, it can't happen tomorrow here in Gainesville.
Now yesterday was an absolutely bizarre day of press conferences and contradictions. And at the end of all that, we were all left with only one thing we knew that at least at this point the Koran burnings were on hold.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Suddenly and without warning, two men, worlds apart in their beliefs, walked side-by-side to the microphones. Pastor Terry Jones and Imam Muhammad Musri from here in Florida had a major announcement.
An Islamic learning center to be built near Ground Zero would be moved to a different location. Jones, for his part, would not burn Korans.
JONES: The American people do not want the mosque there. And of course Muslims do not want us to burn the Koran. The imam has agreed to move the mosque. We have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday. And on Saturday I will be flying up there to meet with him.
ZARRELLA: Pastor Jones insisted he had a deal with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf in New York brokered by the man at his side. Imam Muhammad Musri.
But wait a minute. Musri said he never made a deal. He never even talked directly with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. He talked only with Rauf's wife who agreed only to set up a meeting in New York Saturday.
IMAM MUHAMMAD MUSRI, ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA: The imam is correct in his statement. There is no --
ZARRELLA (on camera): Deal.
MUSRI: Deal. And we're not bartering, but we are trying -- I'm trying to resolve two delicate situations that have, you know, security ramifications around the world.
ZARRELLA: And -- but by the time you left there and walked out here with Pastor Jones, it went from you saying that we can meet with the imam in New York and then Pastor Jones comes out and says we have a deal and insists there is a deal.
He stretched it? Changed it?
MUSRI: Stretched it, possibly.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): For Imam Rauf in New York, all that was transpiring in Gainesville, Florida, seemed to come out of left field.
He issued a statement expressing gratitude that Jones had backed off Koran burnings, but he added, quote, "I have not spoken to Pastor Jones or Imam Musri. I am surprised by their announcement."
So where does this leave Jones? Well, he says he's surprised too and he's changed his tune a bit, going from saying no Koran burning to it's now on hold.
JONES: We assumed that what -- that what the Imam told us was, of course true. Now we're in somewhat of a state of limbo and we have to rethink, of course, our position.
ZARRELLA: Jones says he wants to talk with Imam Rauf sometime today before he decides what to do. At this point, it's fair to say no one knows where, when, or if a New York meeting will take place.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: So, Kyra, at this point, he insists that he is still going to go to New York and that he's going to leave today, but he does not have any framework in place for that meeting. He says he hopes and believes it will still take place tomorrow in New York -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, did he have anything to say about this death during the Afghanistan protest?
ZARRELLA: Yes, I asked him specifically about that, Kyra, and he said look, it's not my fault. I haven't even done -- these are his words. It's not my fault. I haven't even done anything, and they're already protesting.
And he went on to say that it proved his point that radical Islam is dangerous. That's how he spun that -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Hasn't done anything? He created this whole mess.
(LAUGHTER) ZARRELLA: Exactly. And he just doesn't see it that way -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, he needs a reality check. John Zarrella in Gainesville, Florida, thanks.
Well, some 700 miles away from the Gainesville firestorm, a church near Memphis, Tennessee, is rolling out the welcome mat for its Muslim neighbors who are building an Islamic center next door.
The Heartsong Church posted a big old welcome sign just a few day after construction began. But the goodwill doesn't stop there. When mosque leaders learned that their center wouldn't be ready in time for Ramadan, they asked if they could use the church for prayer. And Heartsong said of course.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're our neighbors. Our call is to love them.
PASTOR STEVE STONE, HEARTSONG CHURCH: And we saw the sign out there that said, "Welcome, Memphis Islamic Center," and we were just floored.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: What a difference from what's happening at Ground Zero. The pastor says that he hopes the gesture will send a positive message about the coexistence of the two religions.
President Obama is going to hold a full press conference in less than two hours capping a week of events highlighting efforts to boost the economy. His talking points may be about recovery, but the president will probably face some pretty tough questions about the planned Koran burning as well as the Islamic center -- as well as the issue about the Islamic center being built near Ground Zero.
The press conference is slated to start about 11:00 Eastern Time and the best political team on television is going to kick off the special coverage at about 10:45. But coming up later this hour, we're going to get a preview from "STATE OF THE UNION" host Candy Crowley.
Federal judge has ruled that the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is unconstitutional. The policy bars gay men and lesbian women from serving openly in the armed forces.
The judge actually ordered a permanent injunction that would stop its enforcement. The government is expected to seek a legal block to keep the law -- the law in place while appeals are actually filed. The issue could be headed to the Supreme Court now.
Sicken by 9/11. Those who came to help first face a battle of their own. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us with a story of one First Responder's fight with cancer.
And of course we'll continue to update our breaking news this morning out of San Bruno. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a go-team to investigate last night's explosion in San Bruno which appears to be related to a natural gas pipeline.
Rob Marciano, winds have been quite a problem for firefighters as well, right?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, they were last night for sure. We had the winds kick up just at the wrong time last night and they were gusty when that explosion happened.
We'll talk about that, plus the fire in Colorado and what's going on in the tropics. Weather is coming up. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like an earthquake. And a lot of rattling, and the noise was phenomenal. It was so loud. It just kept shaking, probably a good 10 minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That's just one of the many survivor stories that we're hearing out of San Bruno this morning. A gas fire still burning about 12 hours after it started with a huge explosion. At least three people reported dead. Many more suddenly homeless. It's believed that a ruptured gas line actually set this in motion. We're going to talk with the gas company in just a few minutes.
Windy conditions near the San Bruno blaze are hampering firefighters' efforts. CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano keeping track of all that for us. What do you think, Rob?
MARCIANO: It's calm right now, that's the good news, but it wasn't calm last night, and later on this afternoon, it won't be calm again.
This time of year, you can get a marine layer that sets up with the marine push at night, in the morning, and that takes a while to burn off. Once it burns off, you'll get a pretty good west wind, especially here, near the -- where the peninsula is, the narrowest, 21 mile an hour winds. That's what it was blowing, sustained, yesterday right around 6:00.
It was pretty much calm until 3:00, and then from 3:00 to, say, 9:00 or 10:00, it was blowing about 20 miles an hour and gusting higher than that. That's the issue with this time of year. They'll probably see similar conditions today, although hoping not to be quite as bad.
Here's what's going on in the central part of the country. We have some heavy thunderstorms rolling through Paducah, heading towards Bowling Green. This is what's left over, finally, of Tropical Storm Hermine, which is starting to rain itself out just a little bit. We don't expect to see a tremendous amount of flooding with this like we saw in Arkansas and Oklahoma and Missouri yesterday, and Texas the day before. We're seeing less in the way of moisture. A little bit of moisture with this system that's rolling across the northern tier into your mountain west. This isn't going to bring a ton of moisture to the fire in Boulder, Colorado, but it will bring gusty winds. So, red flag warning up again today for gusts to, I'd say, 30 miles an hour or so. A humidity at about 20 percent.
As far as what's happening tropically speaking, here's Tropical Storm Igor. Actually, a depression now. It weakened overnight. It will probably restrengthen and it's looking pretty good, as far as the organization goes. So, I'm guessing they'll get it back to tropical storm status before the day is done here.
Here's the forecast from the National Hurricane Center, brings it to a hurricane status by the beginning of next week, and then gets it closer to the Caribbean with the westerly movement right now at about 13 miles an hour. That's the latest on what's going on out west and out east in the Atlantic. Kyra, back over to you.
PHILLIPS: Great, thanks Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
PHILLIPS: We're expecting California's lieutenant governor to talk more about what's happening in San Bruno, the latest on the firefighting effort, the evacuees, and the investigation. We're going to listen to that news conference in less than an hour. That's about 10:00 AM Eastern time, and we'll bring you the updates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: You're looking at live pictures right now of New York's ground zero. Tomorrow marks nine years since the terror attacks that killed thousands of people and brought down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
We had so many heroes during that time. They rushed to the site of the demolished World Trade Center towers. I'm talking about the 9- 11 workers who converged at ground zero to dig, clean up, and just help. Now many of them are facing a tremendous personal battle. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us with that story.
I will never forget that live shot of you there at ground zero and you had to talk about the victims and the horrific scene there. It was really emotional for you.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It was. It was such a difficult time for everybody, and just this week I spent time with a man who on September 12th, rushed down to ground to help. He is now ill. This is his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN (voice-over): September 12th, 2001. The remains of the Twin Towers a twisted, smoky heap.
COHEN (on camera): When you got down there on September 12th, what was that scene like?
JEVON THOMAS, WORKED AT GROUND ZERO: It was like a horror movie. Everywhere you went, there was dust. It was in the air, it was on the ground, it was on everything you touched. It was horrible.
COHEN: So you were inhaling all of this stuff?
THOMAS: All of it, every day, all day.
COHEN (voice-over): Jevon Thomas was one of thousands who descended on ground zero to help. He set up portable toilets for the emergency workers. Ten hours a day, seven days a week. After a year at ground zero, he began to feel a stabbing pain.
THOMAS: It was growing here. There was a lump. I went, I had a biopsy, and it came back that it was cancer.
COHEN (voice-over): A rare cancer, called an epithelioid sarcoma. He need extensive reconstructive surgery and six months of chemotherapy. And then, with his scarred arm, he went right back to work at ground zero.
THOMAS: And another lump came.
COHEN (on camera): They found cancer here.
THOMAS: Right.
COHEN: Then, they found cancer here.
THOMAS: Right.
COHEN (voice-over): Two tumors within two years. Thomas started to think the toxic dust had caused his cancer.
COHEN (on camera): So right there, that's where you think your cancer started?
THOMAS: Yes, I'm a hundred percent sure of that.
COHEN: How can you be so sure?
THOMAS: It's so coincidence of within a year of me working there every day, that I started growing a lump in my hand and it turned out to be cancer.
COHEN (voice-over): Dr. Iris Udasin is taking care of Thomas and hundreds of other workers from ground zero.
COHEN (on camera): He's convinced that he got it at ground zero. Are you convinced?
IRIS UDASIN, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH EXPERT: It's really not possible to know whether this cancer was caused by 9/11.
COHEN (voice-over): She says more studies need to be done. In the meantime --
COHEN (on camera): The cancer's back.
THOMAS: Yes, it's back.
COHEN: Where is it this time?
THOMAS: It's in my lungs. This is the third time. It goes, it comes. You never get rid of it. It's a nightmare.
COHEN (voice-over): A cancerous lump the size of a golf ball is in his lungs. Now, he'll need more surgeries, more chemotherapy. Thomas says he's too sick to work, relying on charity to support himself, his wife, and two children.
Then, last month, hope arrived in the form of a letter. His share of the $712 million settlement for ground zero workers.
COHEN (on camera): You received this letter, and how much money did it say you would get?
THOMAS: $83,400.
COHEN: Is that enough to compensate you?
THOMAS: No, not at all. With all the deductions, if I have $50,000 or $60,000, that's supposed to last me for the rest of my life? That's an insult. I'd rather not have anything than to have that.
COHEN: On September 12th, when you were asked to go and help, you did.
THOMAS: Exactly. With pride.
COHEN: Do you feel like you've been forgotten now?
THOMAS: Yes. I know I've been forgotten. Instead of everyone uniting, coming together, and figuring out a way to help you, they're figuring out a way of not to helping you to save a dollar. And that's what it all boils down to. A dollar. And that's what I believe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Wow. So, what does the science say? Was the cancer caused by his work at ground zero?
COHEN: Unfortunately, there's no good way to answer that question. The studies so far say, look, yes people who worked at ground zero are getting cancer, but people get cancer and there's no way to link it and say that there's so many cancers that we're sure that it's the work at ground zero.
Really, it's too soon. The experts we talked to said we won't really know the answer to this for many, many years, because it takes a while, often, for cancers to grow. But one thing that experts really do agree on is that there were carcinogens in the air that he and others were breathing.
PHILLIPS: Right.
COHEN: But to say he that he got the cancer from those carcinogens, they say you can't say that right at this time.
PHILLIPS: Because there's a lot of people that had respiratory problems, too. I know we've done stories on that as well.
COHEN: Right.
PHILLIPS: Why is this settlement money so low? Is it because there are so many people that were involved in the lawsuit?
COHEN: There were a lot of people who were involved in the lawsuit, and also, the science just isn't there. There is no scientific evidence you can point to that says, "Yes, sir, your cancer was caused by the work at ground zero." And so, that's what he ended up. And he's going to try to fight it, but there's not a lot of hope for him financially.
PHILLIPS: And you were mentioning, he's supporting his family, his kids. How does he make money?
COHEN: He doesn't work right now. He's going to charity, he said he goes to Catholic Charities and other places to get food. He goes to soup kitchens.
PHILLIPS: Oh.
COHEN: He's -- he says he's not able to work. And now that he's about to have another surgery for the cancer that's in his lungs and more chemotherapy, he's afraid that it's really going to be a very long time before he can work again.
PHILLIPS: We need to follow his story. You remember how hard it was to breathe when you were down there, right?
COHEN: That's right.
PHILLIPS: It was obvious.
COHEN: Right. The closest I ever got was 11 blocks away from ground zero, and I remember holding up scarves, and it was very, very hard to breathe. There was clearly something in the air.
PHILLIPS: Glad you're reporting on this story. Thanks, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: It's almost 6:30 now in San Bruno, California. Still very early in the morning. We're taking some live pictures of what's happening overnight.
An entire neighborhood is pretty much gone and still burning. The fire apparently started with a ruptured gas line and explosion. One survivor says that he's been smelling gas in the area for weeks. So, we're talking to the gas company in just a few minutes to try and find out how this happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: I want to update you now on the breaking news in San Bruno, California. Live pictures from our affiliate KGO out of San Francisco. This neighborhood has been burning for more than 12 hours now. Natural gas is what's feeding that fire. It's so intense that crews can't even look for victims yet. We know at least three people are reported dead, and that fire captain that gave us that number said he expects that number to rise. More than two dozen people have been hurt, more than 100 homes damage. And this started with a ruptured guess line and a huge explosion. Here's one witness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard a great rumble that shook the house and figured it was an earthquake, but it had a completely different sound to it. When I looked out the kitchen window, as far as I'm concerned, I saw what I thought was a fireball coming towards the house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And another survivor said he has been smelling gas in that area for weeks. Listen to what he told our affiliate, KRON.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM GUTIERREZ, SAN BRUNO RESIDENT: It started around three weeks ago in my neighborhood. PG&E had came out. I was working in my garage. They had told me to shut the door, go inside, that there was heavy strong gases. After being in the neighborhood a little bit they packed up and left, but the real heavy smell was down the street at the next stop sign. Every day after work I would smell the heavy smell coming from the gutter and sewer right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And from what you know, what did PG&E do about this? How long was the smell going on? What did they tell you to do?
GUTIERREZ: They told us nothing. I don't know how anybody cannot repair a smell like that and not find that smell especially go into neighborhoods and there's other neighbors that have smelled the same smell, really strong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And for how long have you smelled this?
GUTIERREZ: For a good three weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what did they tell you to do?
GUTIERREZ: When they had came out they said shut the door and go inside the house. And that was it. And you can see -- as what had happened. This is ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Let's talk more about that ruptured gas line. We have Blair Jones from Pacific Gas & Electric on the phone with us now.
So, Mr. Jones, what can you tell us with regard to what one of the residents in that neighborhood said about smelling that strong odor for a couple of weeks. Your company did come out there, and what did they determine at the time?
BLAIR JONES, SPOKESMAN, PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC (via telephone): First of all, thank you for having me on, and I want to say our thoughts go out to everyone affected by the terrible situation.
Let me start with - obviously, a cause is yet to be determined regarding the incident. We do know that a PG&E gas transmission line was ruptured, but a cause is yet to be determined.
Regarding the gentlemen's comments there, a full investigation will be conducted surrounding this incident. That is something we will be looking into in the course of this investigation. Right now, our focus is helping to make sure the area is safe and that we are concentrating on restoring gas and electrical service as quickly and safely as possible.
PHILLIPS: So, is it true what Tim Gutierrez just said, one of the residents in the neighborhood, that PG&E did come out a few weeks ago to investigate that strong smell?
JONES: Well, again, there will be a full investigation surrounding this incident, and we will be participating in that. That's something that will be looked at in the course of that investigation. Right now, our focus is on ensuring -- making sure the area is and restoring service and working with emergency responders.
PHILLIPS: Sure, I understand. I got that. But I'm asking to you verify, did PG&E and investigate that strong smell a few weeks ago?
JONES: Thank you. And again, that will be something that is looked at during the course of the investigation. Right now, the focus is on the ground --
PHILLIPS: Well, you either did it or you didn't, Mr. Jones. And I think, you know, you have neighbors saying there was a strong smell of gas, and now you have a massive explosion with dead people. And so, was there -- did the company go out there and investigate this strong smell?
JONES: Again, Kyra, thank you for the question. There will be a full investigation. That's something that will be looked at during the course of the investigation.
PHILLIPS: So, how will you be investigating this? Do you have a team of experts? What exactly are you going to do? JONES: Actually, the National Transportation Safety Board - that's the federal agency responsible for investigating natural gas pipeline incidents - they're expected to be onsite today. They'll be leading the comprehensive investigation. We'll be a principal party and source into that investigation. We will be cooperating fully with them and other federal, state and local agencies in an effort to identify the cause of this accident. And we will take all necessary steps to resolve any PG&E related issues, identified through this investigation process.
PHILLIPS: So, if indeed PG&E is found responsible for the explosion, is the company prepared to take full responsibility for this?
JONES: We will take all appropriate steps to assist those affected. If it is ultimately determined that we are responsible for the cause, we will take accountability.
PHILLIPS: Blair Jones, spokesperson for Pacific Gas & Electric company there in California. Thanks for your time, Mr. Jones. We will follow that investigation for sure.
JONES: Thank you for your time.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and emergency workers from around the world have taken off their uniforms and laced up running shoes. We will tell you about the 4,600 mile run across the country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Tomorrow is the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, and these runners want to make sure you remember every individual who was killed. They are firefighters, police officers and other emergency workers, and they are honoring their comrades who died in that disaster. More than 400 in all.
The runners are scheduled to arrive in New York tomorrow. The final destination of a 4,600 mile journey that all began last month in California. The runners come from as far away as Australia, and one of them joins us now. John McGirr fights fires in the Australian capital territory. Joining him is New York counterpart, Kevin O'Connor at the New York City Fire Department.
Guys, great to see you.
KEVIN O'CONNOR, NYFD: Good to see you and thanks for having us.
JOHN MCGIRR, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY FIRE DEPT.: Good day, Kyra. How are you?
PHILLIPS: Good to see you. And I noticed, Kevin, you know - Johnny, you must be the weaker of the two. He fessed up to shin splints and blisters. You seem have no complaints. O'CONNOR: Yes, guys like us have to carry guys like him, so -
(LAUGHTER)
MCGIRR: When he's off camera - when he's off camera, it's a completely different story.
PHILLIPS: And I know you have to keep a sense of humor. Because this is no easy feat. On a much more serious note, this is an incredible story you guys are telling through endurance and camaraderie.
How did it all begin, Jonny? It was an idea formulate Friday a fellow Aussie, right?
MCGIRR: That's right. We lost one of our firefighters last year in a big wildfire in Victoria, and he left behind three children and a fantastic wife. And he actually called up and said let's do a run from the Cambre, which is the capital to Melbourne (ph). It was really successful, and it brought a lot of comfort to his family.
And during that, he just thought in Australia we were affected by 9/11. And he said, how about we do this for the Americans and just try to do something with goodwill? And that's how it began.
PHILLIPS: Wow. That's amazing. And Kevin, what do you think of how this started overseas? Now you have come together. This created quite a bond among you guys, yes?
O'CONNOR: I would say so. The emergency service is a brotherhood, and this trip has really shown across our nation and across the sea how much we all have a common goal and we can come together and do an event such like this. It has been really, really incredible.
PHILLIPS: And Johnny, what do you think of how people have turned out from state to state? I mean, give us an idea of how people reacted to all of you.
MCGIRR: It's been unbelievable. Really humbling. My favorite moments of the trip -- I mean, if we are on only two hours of sleep and we go through a small town, you know, maybe a population of 500. They are just lining the streets. They've got their ladder trucks out, the local fire department volunteers. It can be 2:00 a.m. and they've got Gatorade for us. They've got food, well wishers and we're only rolling through the town for a couple of seconds.
We just -- we would love to stop and -- and have thanked everybody and now I can thank people -- everyone that's come out to see us. It's -- it's kept us going, especially when we are hurting. You just start running on air. It's great.
And -- and it's -- they're sort of -- sort of paying us back in kindness and that just keeps us going. It's awesome.
PHILLIPS: And Kevin every morning you guys get up and read names of those who died on 9/11, right? Is that what keeps you motivated as you're running?
KEVIN O'CONNOR, FDNY, TOUR OF DUTY MEMBER: Certainly. At the time the planes struck the twin towers, we stop whatever we're doing during the run and read off a list of names. And we've -- we broke up the names so we can cover all the names throughout this whole trip. And those days we run for those specific runners. And it just -- any time you can get sore or tired, you just think about those names, why we're here and it just motivates you to keep going.
We look at each other and we're all going through the same, living out of Winnebagos. And you just -- any time, any second you forget what -- you know, you get a little tired or discouraged, just remember what we're here for. We look at each other and we just keep going.
PHILLIPS: You know, you guys have talked about all the positive response and how you're fired up to do this. You know, Johnny has there have been a moment where it's been tough for you guys?
MCGIRR: Living with Kevin pretty much the whole time has been pretty tough. Yes, you talk about the sense of humor, he doesn't really have one so it's quite hard. But --
O'CONNOR: I think there's a little jealously there, a little bit.
MCGIRR: Not, not one part of this.
PHILLIPS: Everybody wants to be an American. You know that, Kevin.
(CROSSTALK)
MCGIRR: Not one part of this --
O'CONNOR: He keeps borrowing my deodorant. I don't know what's up with that? But --
MCGIRR: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I love how you're keeping your sense of humor. Yes.
MCGIRR: I always know he has deodorants because he smells so much, so he always have a good -- a good amount of supply onboard you know.
PHILLIPS: Keeping a sense of humor --
MCGIRR: But back -- back to your question.
PHILLIPS: -- for an amazing mission, in doubt yes. We have to leave it there guys with how smelly Kevin is. Fabulous thought, no but really, Kevin O'Connor and Johnny McGirr.
O'CONNOR: I smell cologne today.
PHILLIPS: You guys look clean and well shaven today for the most part, Johnny.
O'CONNOR: Well, some of us are well-shaven. PHILLIPS: Thanks, guys. We appreciate what you are doing.
MCGIRR: Thanks Kyra.
PHILLIPS: It's wonderful to watch, guys. I salute you both. Thanks so much.
O'CONNOR: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Well, you'd never use the trombone or a flute to fill out a crossword puzzle, right? So you might wonder why these kids are playing music with their pencils. It's a reality of school budget problems. It's kind of sad what passes for a band instrument in this day and age.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Time now for the CNN Equals Politics update. We're looking ahead to President Obama's news conference. It's his first since May and it's due to get under way in just about an hour for now.
Of course, our Candy Crowley will be leading the coverage on that. She's joining me from CNNPolitics.com desk in Washington. Hey, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Hey, how are you, Kyra? Yes, the president's news conference -- his 8th solo news conference of his presidency -- economy, economy, economy, and I would guess, a little bit about a certain pastor in Florida and the proposed burning of the Koran tomorrow, which may or may not happen.
All topics that the president is likely to be discussing. What would he like to discuss? He'd like to discuss his new plans to try to help jump start what has been a very sluggish economic recovery. Also on our ticker today, looking at some of the news that's coming up, the president is also going to be put to work by the Democratic National Committee. They have him going out on the road in four key states in the coming weeks: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Ohio.
If you think, wow, there's really key senate races in all of those places, you'd be right. And what the president is going to try to do in these states is to say to voters who came out for him in 2008. Listen, the enthusiasm that you brought to that election, you need to bring to this one.
A lot of reports about dispirited Democrats, the president making the case as he goes to these states that it's every bit as important to give him a Congress he can work with.
And finally, a new man on board, well, sort of a new man on board in a new position anyway. Austan Goolsbee who has been an advisor to the president, both first in his campaign and now at the White House is getting a promotion. He is going to become the White House Council of Economic Advisors Chairman, taking over for Christina Romer.
The fact is this is someone who has been on board from the beginning, so the economic message is not going to change. What the White House likes about Goolsbee is they think he is good on television, and they -- there have been lots of comments from people inside the White House who have worried that while the president is their best spokesman, they need a couple more. They think Goolsbee kind of fills that bill -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Candy Crowley, I appreciate the update. And we're going to hear from you again. Candy is going to be back with us in less than an hour from now to set the stage for President Obama's news conference, that question and answer exchange is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Eastern, 8:00 Pacific. We'll see you about 10:45, Candy.
Just after sunrise in San Bruno, California we're following the breaking news there -- live pictures now from our affiliate KRON out in San Francisco. A ruptured gas line, a huge explosion and an intense fire, a whole neighborhood in ruins right now; that fire has been burning for more than 12 hours. At least three people reported dead and many more suddenly homeless. We're following the story for you.
And in about an hour and 15 we're --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, you had to know Bell, California wasn't alone. Remember the story of ultimate government abuse? We were all over the corruption there in Bell. We showed you how folks ran off their grossly overpaid underworked city manager and his assistant along with the police chief. Now they are trying to get rid of most of the city council.
Let me tell you about another version; this one in Vernon, California, just a few miles away, 90 residents there. Listen to what their top city managers were making, about $1.6 million a year and getting sweet perks like first class airline tickets and swanky hotel rooms, making more money, by the way, than the governor and more money than the President of the United States in a town that laid off workers and cut health benefits because of budget problems.
Pretty outrageous and insulting when you consider how the whole state of California is struggling with budget cuts. Think about those fat cats in Bell and Vernon as you watch this story out of Sacramento, a band teacher teaching music without instruments.
Bethany Crouch of KTSL shows us what is passing for a trumpet and a tuba in these hard times.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETHANY CROUCH, KTSL: Ok. So maybe they're not quite ready for the symphony, but this is what music class should sound like. What happens when there aren't enough instruments to go around? One local teacher, Donna Pool, found the pencil has more uses than just writing.
DONNA POOL, TEACHER: Use your pencil or use your air horn. If I wanted you to play the Note D, I would show you where your fingers need to be.
When you are out of resources or you don't have things, you have to think of some way. The thought of telling a student that they have to take a different class because I don't have any instrument doesn't even enter into my thought process.
Reporter: what they do have enough of? Pencils. Principal Gabriel Cooper says getting creative in the classroom is a teacher's job.
GABRIEL COOPER, PRINCIPAL: You want them to have an instrument, but at the same time it's such an interesting -- to be able to talk to a kid, and say I'm still learning. This is a good start for me. I can find the notes on my pencil.
Makes you feel happy that, you know, we're not losing any time, necessarily?
CROUCH: Even if playing a pencil may seem silly.
What is she talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feels kind of weird.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really different going from a flute to a pencil and then back to a flute again.
UM: First, I was thinking I was never going to get the trumpet.
CROUCH: Brad and his classmates aren't stuck playing pencils forever. The instruments needed are slowing trickling in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I finally got it, and I was so happy, when I got home, I started playing it all day.
CROUCH: That's an experience Donna wants for every kid, not just her students. The San Juan District says more instruments are on the way but they still need help in districts across the state.
If you do have an old instrument sitting in your house, call up the local school and see if they need it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, last check, about 15 to 20 students were still using pencils. Let's get them some instruments. That school is hoping to get more kids with instruments soon.
