Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Southwest States Fight Fires

Aired June 22, 2002 - 18:08   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.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, out west it was a battle between firefighters and, of course, the weather. In east central Arizona, another town has been put on alert. Not just one but two fires are converging.

CNN's Bill Delaney is near the frontlines in Show Low. Of course, wind the big concern there. Yesterday you were talking about how authorities were saying this is the worst-case scenario. Any improvement?

BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chris, in a way there is improvement. The fire didn't move east toward us here in Show Low, Arizona in the past 24 hours or so. That's good news.

At the same time, this fire, this Rodeo fire, is still zero percent contained.

Now, take a look at it, Kris. This is what people in Show Low, Arizona are seeing, but they're watching expectantly -- everybody here on one-hour notice to evacuate if necessary. The fire more apocalyptic looking than anything we've seen in the past couple of days here.

Black smoke replacing the sort of white smoke that we've seen. The Rodeo fire has now consumed 150,000 acres of central Arizona. Now I have with me Jim Paxon of the National Forest Service. Jim, why are we seeing such darker smoke now?

JIM PAXON, NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE: This is a different kind of fire today. The winds are allowing the fire to be fuel-driven, and we're seeing where it's making runs up small canyons and some of the larger canyons and burning everything in it. So, burning heavy fuels and live trees, the smoke is a lot darker.

DELANEY: What is the threat to where we're standing now, Show Low, which is a region, a couple of communities, about 15,000 people on alert here.

PAXON: That's correct. The threat is still real much a threat that if this fire were to get a westward wind and turn towards us, we would have to evacuate Show Low. However, we're constructing line with bulldozers and hand crews, to try to cut that off. Tonight, we'll actually start burning out that line that was built to rob the fire of fuels in front of it so it will not advance to the east.

DELANEY: Are you cautiously optimistic that this fire will avoid Sholo and the communities around here?

PAXON: Well, I can't even say cautiously optimistic, but we're making progress. In a couple of days, we may be cautiously optimistic.

DELANEY: Jim Paxon, thanks very much, indeed. Of course, we're also watching to see whether the two major fires in this region merge. The Chedeski fires, about 30,000 acres now, that is very much expected to merge around tomorrow afternoon, with this big Rodeo fire and that will be a monster conflagration that will eventually consumer fire officials think, at least 300,000 acres.

Back to you.

OSBORN: Bill Delaney in Show Low, Arizona talking about the dangers and of course there is not any expected rain for the next several weeks, which of course makes matter very worse there.

What you saw from the smoke and the flames near, again, Bill mentioning that close to 15 to 20,000 people might be evacuated from Show Low, depending on, of course, weather and whether or not those two fires converge.

Also, in another fire situation for two days fire crews have been gaining ground on Colorado's largest fire, ever. But, no longer.

CNN's Mark Potter joins us from the command post at the southern edge of that fire. Mark, I understand winds are now there up to 40 miles an hour or more.

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kris. In fact, they were at 40 miles an hour at 11 o'clock this morning, and the winds usually become worse in the afternoon.

After containing 60 percent of this fire, the Hayman fire, officials are now concerned that much of their work, or at least some of it, will be undone by the bad weather. Of particular concern, as you said, stiff winds but also lowering humidity and predicted lightning strikes, which could cause other fires. Now, also today forestry officials are expressing their condolences to the families of four firefighters killed yesterday.

They died when their van, heading from Oregon to the Colorado wildfires flipped over on Highway I-70 in Western Colorado. Four people were killed, seven others were injured. The driver has been charged. And officials say by far this is the worst incident of the Colorado fires.

Now, as to the impact of the fires themselves on this state, 200 homes have been destroyed, more than 10,000 people have been evacuated, but some of them, as we discovered are very resilient.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, you can see... POTTER (voice-over): Outside a Red Cross shelter in Woodland Park, Colorado, Ruth and Ted Johnson live in their van. They and their neighbors were evacuated from a fire zone two weeks ago. And haven't been home since. Some in the area have lost their homes, but in so many ways, the Johnson's are fortunate.

RUTH JOHNSON, EVACUATED FROM FIRE ZONE: My husband woke up this morning and said to me, happy birthday, honey. And, I said, yes it is. It is happy. I said, after all, we've got each other, we're still here. As far as we know, we've got our home. And we've got these wonderful people here at the Red Cross to take care of us.

POTTER: Inside the shelter, word was out that Ruth Johnson had just turned 79. A wonderful excuse for displaced neighbors, suffering together, to celebrate.

RUTH JOHNSON: Oh, my gosh.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now you know why you're so popular, Ruth.

POTTER: In fact, Ruth Johnson got three cakes, and flowers. She shared them with another evacuee.

RUTH JOHNSON: It's your birthday, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, 57 today. Oh, bless you. Thank you, Ruth.

POTTER: A bad situation made better for a day by neighbors and friends who care for each other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Now, not everyone here, of course, is coping all that well. There is a lot of fear, and anger, and concern because of these wild fires, but at that shelter, neighbors are at least trying to make the best of it -- Kris.

OSBORN: Mark Potter there in Colorado, talking about the investigation, of course. The latest on the fires, and bringing us the resilient spirit of one Ruth Johnson, turning 71 while in a shelter.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com