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CNN Live At Daybreak

Entrance to Yellowstone Closed by Fire

Aired July 30, 2001 - 08:47   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.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Officials have closed the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park, because of a terrible fire that's going on there.

We want to give you the latest on the situation, and for that we are joined by Penny Preston of Big Horn Radio. She's in Cody, Wyoming, which is right near that east entrance.

Penny, describe what you see there this morning.

PENNY PRESTON, BIG HORN RADIO: Colleen, I live in Wapiti, Wyoming. Cody is actually 52 miles east of the entrance where the fire is.

I came through Yellowstone National Park. We barely made it out yesterday before they closed the gate, and we saw the big billowing clouds of smoke. The fire is actually in the back country and behind a ridge, but tourists were taking pictures, pointing, and very concerned. There are several forest cabins just east of the park, and I talked to someone who owns one of the cabins this morning, and they are concerned about losing everything they have in some of those cabins -- that have been in families for as many as 70 to 80 years.

MCEDWARDS: Right -- and what's being done to try to protect those, at this point?

PRESTON: I talked to the manager of the Park County Emergency Management Services this morning, and he said they are considering evacuation. But in a fire situation this large, there is not much you can do if the weather elements are against you. Yesterday, we had southwest winds that were very strong. They expect southwest winds again today.

There is a fire crew coming in from Jackson, that fire crew that has been fighting the fire down there, and they are bringing in helicopters and air support, and they've already used some air support on the fire, just inside Yellowstone's east gate.

But man against nature -- sometimes there's not much you can do.

MCEDWARDS: Do they have any idea what caused this one?

PRESTON: They think -- I talked to forest service personnel yesterday -- it's most likely started by lightning. We have dry storms that come through here occasionally. And I think may have been a dry storm that came through over the weekend, and the fire may have smoldered for a while, and perhaps was whipped up by winds yesterday afternoon, Sunday afternoon.

But it could have been a back country camper. Right now, I'm hearing that it was probably lightning.

MCEDWARDS: Have officials said how long that east gate is going to stay closed, Penny, real quick?

PRESTON: Until further notice.

MCEDWARDS: OK.

PRESTON: They say it will be closed until further notice. Right now -- they have not decided -- but they are thinking about evacuating homes east of that area. It just depends on the weather.

MCEDWARDS: Penny Preston, thanks very much for bringing up to date on that. We appreciate it.

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