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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With Brian Jordan of L.A. County Fire Department

Aired May 11, 2002 - 18:25   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: We want to bring you up-to-date on the wildfire that we are following in California. This brush fire is going on in Angeles National Forest and on the phone with us now is Brian Jordan. Brian, you're with the L.A. County Fire Department, right?

BRIAN JORDAN, L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Sure am. This fire has grown to 1,000 acres with actually -- just sent another 10 fire engines. We have a problem with the fires jumping too many canyons. The fire is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this area; L.A. County Fire Department is assisting. Largely, no one has been hurt and the only structure loss right now is an outside shed.

CALLAWAY: Let's hope it stays that way. Right now, we're looking at some video live from KTTV out there. You guys have had it really bad this season, haven't you, with the fire conditions just about perfect out there.

JORDAN: We're actually -- perfect for the fires, with the fire demons, and fire -- the brush is so dry, we've had -- we're short 11 inches of rain. There's so much brush out here you can just break it with your hands. It breaks right in half and that's why this fire is burning so fast, besides the smoke, besides the wind, there's no moisture in the field -- it burns very fast.

CALLAWAY: Give everyone an idea of exactly where this fire is. We're seeing 60 miles north of L.A. Is that true?

JORDAN: It's 15 minutes -- I'd say 15 to 20 miles north of Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles, and if you're driving a lot more -- however, if anybody familiar with Magic Mountain -- no, ten miles northeast of Magic Mountain.

CALLAWAY: That seems awfully close to town. I mean, you ought to be able to see that from downtown.

JORDAN: It's very close. You can see it from downtown; you can smell it from downtown. As a matter of fact, this area, since it's in the United States Forest, it's actually an area that doesn't have a lot of residents -- it has a lot of people that go to the area -- go hiking, camping, bike riding -- and that's been one of our problems on this fire, with law enforcement -- they had to actually account for all these people and make sure everybody's out of the fire area.

CALLAWAY: You don't have any injuries in this one, yet, do you?

JORDAN: Fortunately, no. We don't have any. Normally we do have injuries, but fortunately, we haven't had any injuries and I hope it stays that way.

CALLAWAY: All right, good luck to you out there and we should say you're Fire Captain, right? Los Angeles County Fire Captain Brian Jordan. I want to give you your due. You guys work hard for those titles.

JORDAN: Thank you very much.

CALLAWAY: Thank you very much for being with us, captain.

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