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CNN Live Saturday

Devestating Fires Rip Through Southern California

Aired October 25, 2003 - 16:01   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.


ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: There is a reason it's being called the Grand Prix fire. Firefighters in southern California are trying to battle both volatile flames and strang erratic winds that have claimed several homes.
One of the hardest hit areas in southern California is Rancho Cucamonga, a city about 45 miles east of Los Angeles. CNN's Miguel Marquez is in the midst of it all near Rancho Cucamonga. It looks a lot calmer behind you Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a lot calmer here. The Santa Ana winds have not picked up as firefighters had expected they would by now today, so it's given them a chance to sort of jump on this fire and burn out a lot of brush and undergrowth near the city, which has given them a huge break.

However, ten miles east of here, there's been another fire start. And I want to bring in Dennis Cross, who is the information officer here with the forest service, on this fire. Tell us about this fire that's 10 miles east of here, Waterman Canyon. What can you tell us?

DENNIS CROSS, INFORMATION OFFICER: We have another major wildfire burning here in San Bernardino County. It was reported a little over two hours ago. It's 150 acres and quickly grew to over 3,000. Just gives you an indication of the winds we're experiencing in certain areas, the dry fuel, and the dry brush season we are in.

MARQUEZ: So that's a few miles from here. What does that say about the wind situation is different over there?

CROSS: Oh, yes. They're experiencing 30, 40 mile an hour winds sustaining, gusts of 50 and 60. Because where it's located, the wind funnels through a channel, through a big canyon, and they're experiencing some very erratic fire behavior.

MARQUEZ: I understand three homes have been destroyed there.

CROSS: Yes. There's confirmation of three homes, 3,000 plus acres. No containment in sight. We're busy scambling to get resources to that fire.

MARQUEZ: Does that complicate your job here?

CROSS: It does, because the winds keep changing direction. And say they start blowing west, that fire easily could grow and start challenging this fire. And more resources would have to be committed. MARQUEZ: I want to switch gears to the Grand Prix fire. This morning, we were together here. They were doing a burnout operation, which you guys were finishing up out here. But during that burnout operation, we saw a fire whirl, a whirl wind come out of that fire. What is that phenomenon?

CROSS: It's hard to imagine unless you've been through it like we were or seen it. The scary thing is residents who try to stay back and protect their home with a garden hose. They can't understand that or comprehend the magnitude of a fire with the wind.

They think because there's no wind right now and the fire comes down that the garden hose might work, but it won't. We saw 40 to 50- mile-per-hour gusts winds, a fire whirl. I mean, everything we had was being blown over. That's what we try to emphasize to the residents. Don't stay behind and try to protect your home. Let the professionals do it. Give us a defensible space.

MARQUEZ: You cannot outrun a fire?

CROSS: No, you can't. You can't outrun it. You're not going to predict which direction it's going to go. And we want to make sure all the lives and property are saved.

MARQEZ: And the other interesting thing we saw coming out of that situation were all the animals. Immediately after, we saw rabbits, rats, coyotes, come running out of the brush here. What danger does that pose for firefighters?

CROSS: It really poses a danger. The animals get scared and panic and run out of their holes. They panic and they run back towards the fire. If they catch on fire and run to an area downwind, and now they start more brush on fire, and we quickly have to shift our resources. It's a very real part of the fight with the brush fire.

MARQUEZ: They can spot fires themselves.

CROSS: They do, they really do. It's a sad situation.

MARQUEZ: I guess the word dynamic is understated for the job you're doing today.

CROSS: It is. We just keep crossing our fingers that the winds will stay where they are right now.

MARQEZ: That seems to be what firefighters are hoping for now, Andrea, is that these winds stay down. They do have plans for another burnout operation just west of here -- north and west of here. Obviously, they feel fairly confident they can get that accomplished before those Santa Ana winds kick in.

We're holding at ten minor injuries in this fire so far, and the Grand Prix fire, seven homes confirmed destroyed, and in the other fire east of here, three homes destroyed. But it looks like they got a long few days ahead of them -- Andrea. KOPPEL: It certainly does. I don't know, Miguel, if you have a monitor where you are, but we were just showing live pictures a moment ago that showed the flames coming up. There they are again. But they're coming up to, it looks like they're incredibly close to this enormous mansion. I don't know if the flames get very close to these homes, what can the firefighters do? I mean, I don't see any firefighters on the ground there. Are these homes just a lost cause?

MARQEZ: Well, they're showing pictures of Waterman Canyon. It's a very large home near there that is being threatened by flames. I take it, in that situation, where it's moving so fast, that firefighters can't get on it fast enough to protect it. What happens when the fire gets that close to a big home?

CROSS: WEll, what they do is they look and see if the home can be protected. Does it have defensible space? Can we get the resources in there safely to protect the home? The homeowners in this neighborhood have done an outstanding job of clearing the brush. It allows us to protect them. In a situation like that, we have to look at the risk versus the gain. Is the fire going to threaten firefighters, the fire apparatus? Can we safely protect the home? It's a very dynamic situation.

MARQUEZ: I think what they're dealing with there, for the most part, Andrea, is a high wind situation. And no matter how much water they won't be able to get on it, or be able to cut down enough trees and brush around the home to be able to protect it -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Absolutely. In fact, while you were talking, we're still looking at these pictures here. You can see there are -- it looks like just perhaps people in the neighborhood. I'm not sure if people from the home who are just sort of walking around, and the black smoke is now almost covering the house. It looks as if they did cut down brush around the home. But clearly, obviously, it's a rapidly changing situation, as we witnessed with you just a few hours ago. Miguel Marquez joining us just east of Los Angeles. Thank you.

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







Aired October 25, 2003 - 16:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: There is a reason it's being called the Grand Prix fire. Firefighters in southern California are trying to battle both volatile flames and strang erratic winds that have claimed several homes.
One of the hardest hit areas in southern California is Rancho Cucamonga, a city about 45 miles east of Los Angeles. CNN's Miguel Marquez is in the midst of it all near Rancho Cucamonga. It looks a lot calmer behind you Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a lot calmer here. The Santa Ana winds have not picked up as firefighters had expected they would by now today, so it's given them a chance to sort of jump on this fire and burn out a lot of brush and undergrowth near the city, which has given them a huge break.

However, ten miles east of here, there's been another fire start. And I want to bring in Dennis Cross, who is the information officer here with the forest service, on this fire. Tell us about this fire that's 10 miles east of here, Waterman Canyon. What can you tell us?

DENNIS CROSS, INFORMATION OFFICER: We have another major wildfire burning here in San Bernardino County. It was reported a little over two hours ago. It's 150 acres and quickly grew to over 3,000. Just gives you an indication of the winds we're experiencing in certain areas, the dry fuel, and the dry brush season we are in.

MARQUEZ: So that's a few miles from here. What does that say about the wind situation is different over there?

CROSS: Oh, yes. They're experiencing 30, 40 mile an hour winds sustaining, gusts of 50 and 60. Because where it's located, the wind funnels through a channel, through a big canyon, and they're experiencing some very erratic fire behavior.

MARQUEZ: I understand three homes have been destroyed there.

CROSS: Yes. There's confirmation of three homes, 3,000 plus acres. No containment in sight. We're busy scambling to get resources to that fire.

MARQUEZ: Does that complicate your job here?

CROSS: It does, because the winds keep changing direction. And say they start blowing west, that fire easily could grow and start challenging this fire. And more resources would have to be committed. MARQUEZ: I want to switch gears to the Grand Prix fire. This morning, we were together here. They were doing a burnout operation, which you guys were finishing up out here. But during that burnout operation, we saw a fire whirl, a whirl wind come out of that fire. What is that phenomenon?

CROSS: It's hard to imagine unless you've been through it like we were or seen it. The scary thing is residents who try to stay back and protect their home with a garden hose. They can't understand that or comprehend the magnitude of a fire with the wind.

They think because there's no wind right now and the fire comes down that the garden hose might work, but it won't. We saw 40 to 50- mile-per-hour gusts winds, a fire whirl. I mean, everything we had was being blown over. That's what we try to emphasize to the residents. Don't stay behind and try to protect your home. Let the professionals do it. Give us a defensible space.

MARQUEZ: You cannot outrun a fire?

CROSS: No, you can't. You can't outrun it. You're not going to predict which direction it's going to go. And we want to make sure all the lives and property are saved.

MARQEZ: And the other interesting thing we saw coming out of that situation were all the animals. Immediately after, we saw rabbits, rats, coyotes, come running out of the brush here. What danger does that pose for firefighters?

CROSS: It really poses a danger. The animals get scared and panic and run out of their holes. They panic and they run back towards the fire. If they catch on fire and run to an area downwind, and now they start more brush on fire, and we quickly have to shift our resources. It's a very real part of the fight with the brush fire.

MARQUEZ: They can spot fires themselves.

CROSS: They do, they really do. It's a sad situation.

MARQUEZ: I guess the word dynamic is understated for the job you're doing today.

CROSS: It is. We just keep crossing our fingers that the winds will stay where they are right now.

MARQEZ: That seems to be what firefighters are hoping for now, Andrea, is that these winds stay down. They do have plans for another burnout operation just west of here -- north and west of here. Obviously, they feel fairly confident they can get that accomplished before those Santa Ana winds kick in.

We're holding at ten minor injuries in this fire so far, and the Grand Prix fire, seven homes confirmed destroyed, and in the other fire east of here, three homes destroyed. But it looks like they got a long few days ahead of them -- Andrea. KOPPEL: It certainly does. I don't know, Miguel, if you have a monitor where you are, but we were just showing live pictures a moment ago that showed the flames coming up. There they are again. But they're coming up to, it looks like they're incredibly close to this enormous mansion. I don't know if the flames get very close to these homes, what can the firefighters do? I mean, I don't see any firefighters on the ground there. Are these homes just a lost cause?

MARQEZ: Well, they're showing pictures of Waterman Canyon. It's a very large home near there that is being threatened by flames. I take it, in that situation, where it's moving so fast, that firefighters can't get on it fast enough to protect it. What happens when the fire gets that close to a big home?

CROSS: WEll, what they do is they look and see if the home can be protected. Does it have defensible space? Can we get the resources in there safely to protect the home? The homeowners in this neighborhood have done an outstanding job of clearing the brush. It allows us to protect them. In a situation like that, we have to look at the risk versus the gain. Is the fire going to threaten firefighters, the fire apparatus? Can we safely protect the home? It's a very dynamic situation.

MARQUEZ: I think what they're dealing with there, for the most part, Andrea, is a high wind situation. And no matter how much water they won't be able to get on it, or be able to cut down enough trees and brush around the home to be able to protect it -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Absolutely. In fact, while you were talking, we're still looking at these pictures here. You can see there are -- it looks like just perhaps people in the neighborhood. I'm not sure if people from the home who are just sort of walking around, and the black smoke is now almost covering the house. It looks as if they did cut down brush around the home. But clearly, obviously, it's a rapidly changing situation, as we witnessed with you just a few hours ago. Miguel Marquez joining us just east of Los Angeles. Thank you.

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