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CNN Live Saturday

Wildfires Burn Out of Control In Western States

Aired August 18, 2001 - 17:09   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, to the west where more than 22,000 firefighters are scrambling to contain blazes across the western United States. They are now burning in ten states all told, and more than 600,000 acres have already been scorched.

Washington and Oregon are the states that are hardest hit. Crews are worried that gusty winds could strengthen the fires there and spread them toward nearby homes and businesses.

Let's talk next to Lowell Deo from CNN affiliate KCPQ-TV, joining us now with the latest. Lowell?

LOWELL DEO, KCPQ-TV REPORTER: Stephen, that's totally right. The weather is both helping and hurting today at the Icicle Creek fire. This is now a 5,000 acre fire. It is a fire that has almost doubled since yesterday.

Now, the temperatures here have dropped 20 degrees since Friday, from the 90s to the 70's. That makes it easier for the 700-plus firefighters that are trying to tackle this thing, while also better stalling the flames, but the low temperatures have also brought higher than normal winds. Not good news for firefighters who thought they finally had the flames right where they want them.

(AUDIO GAP)

FRAZIER: ... on the part of those firefighters, including helicopters.

DEO: In the distance -- it looks like you're looking at blank sky but you're actually looking at a mountain. You're looking at the Icicle Creek complex. This is where the bulk of the fire has been going on. This is where they evacuated 50 homes just yesterday, 70 total since this thing began Sunday.

They are also issuing a level two fire evacuation, which simply means prepare to evacuate toward the base of the complex. So it looks like in the near future dozens more, at least dozens more homes will be effected.

So, while a lot of people are being inconvenienced, the good news is that no one has been hurt or killed in this fire yet.

FRAZIER: And there in Leavenworth, Lowell, it looks like much more of a community than we've seen in other areas where it seems to be isolated homes, or at homes that are at great distance from each other. Here there's was more of a main street in some of the pictures we were watching, as you were talking.

DEO: True, but the good news is that a lot of these homes are vacation homes, and while it's never good to have any homes affected, authorities are downplaying the possibility that people and permanent homes are going to be destroyed.

FRAZIER: Lowell Deo reporting to us tonight from Leavenworth. Lowell, thanks so much.

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