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CNN Live At Daybreak

Thousands of Firefighters Combat Western Blazes

Aired August 17, 2001 - 07:04   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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Also happening right now, while huge wildfires feeding off of dry, hot, windy conditions in several Western states, the numbers are staggering: 21,000 firefighters, more than half a million acres burned in several Western states. And the top concern right now: fires in Washington State, Oregon and Northern California.

And let's go to Ruch, Oregon, where CNN's Gina London is at one fire base camp.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GINA LONDON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Combating fatigue as much as fire, the battle goes on today through much of the West. Reinforcements are on the way for some exhausted firefighters. Military battalions from North Carolina and Washington State of at least 800 soldiers on alert to be sent in within a week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With this front that's coming through, although it's going to be cooler, it's going to bring wind with it. And then we expect more dry lightning strikes this weekend. So at this point, we're OK, but it can get out of control.

LONDON: Of the 10 states now waging wildfire wars, Oregon is the hardest hit. Eleven major fires there have scorched nearly 300,000 acres. Hot winds blowing at least one to within just a few miles of a city limit.

National Guard members from around the state have been trained, hundreds joining the fight in earnest today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like an excellent thing to do to help out the people who are in strife and to help the brave souls who have been out there for three-and-a-half months already fighting the fires to maybe get a chance to get out there and give them some relief

LONDON: And across the rest of the fire-torn states, crews struggle to continue their grueling pace. Work goes around the clock, many on 14 to 16 hour shifts in efforts to contain each raging blaze.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONDON: And now, we are, as you mentioned, Brian, at a base camp for the Quartz fire here in Oregon. Now, this is, of course, kind of a behind-the-scenes look, if you will, at where the firefighters actually get their supplies. We're three hours away, in fact, from the next shift change.

And the members of the National Guard will be coming here to this fire-cache van, if you will. The distribution warehouse you see behind me is actually, of course, just a van. But they get everything here. They get axes. They get their fire hoses, the pumps, the foam - everything that you need to fight a fire is right here.

And it's more than that, too, because there are 2,100 firefighters and support staff, Brian, right here working and living every day. It's like a small town has cropped up like other base camps around the West simply designed to fight a fire.

In Ruch, Oregon, Gina London, live - back to you, Brian.

NELSON: All right. Thank you very much, Gina.

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