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CNN Live At Daybreak
A New Fire By Los Angeles
Aired August 28, 2001 - 07:03 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to start out just north of Los Angeles, where a fire has popped up suddenly, and it has kept firefighters very busy. It's among several burning in the West right now. Arson is believed to be behind this one.
At least 1,800 acres have burned along with one home and two other structures.
Still, as CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports, it could have been much worse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From high above and down below, 600 firefighters fought an intense battle against high winds, dry brush and raging flames.
UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: It depends on the wind. If the wind changes, we're out of here.
GUTIERREZ: A wall of fire came within feet of a new subdivision just 30 miles north of Los Angeles. Fire officials say because brush had been cleared, the fire ran out of fuel, and nine homes were spared.
BRIAN JORDAN, L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We were using the helicopters. They fly from 110 to 150 miles an hour. What happened then is we actually hit the fire's head, which is safer, so we don't have to worry about losing any firefighters to injuries. And we keep the ground firefighters on the fire engines right around the homes.
GUTIERREZ: There were no forced evacuations, but residents in remote canyon areas led their animals to safety. In one case, dogs, horses, monkeys, even camels.
Officials say they stayed ahead of the fire by making water drops by air -- one after another. Interstate 5, one of the main arteries in Southern California, was closed down for hours stranding drivers -- the smoke was too thick.
Two separate major fire two miles apart burned out of control for seven long hours. A California Highway Patrol official told us the cause may be arson. DOUG SWEENEY, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: Well, we definitely know that the second fire was set. We had citizens in the area tell us they saw somebody suspicious -- just kind of hanging around when the first fire had started, and then shortly thereafter, there was a second fire started. It wasn't -- that wasn't where you get one of the embers that fly over and start a brush area. It was too far away, yes.
GUTIERREZ: Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Castaic, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: We're going to take you live now to Hena Cuevas. She is at Castaic at the command post.
Hena, what can you tell us what's the latest?
HENA CUEVAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that Interstate 5, one of the main thoroughfares here in Los Angeles connects -- actually in California, connects Los Angeles -- San Diego to Sacramento. And that was opened early last night at about 8:00 local time. So rush hour is expected to be fairly normal this morning.
With us this morning, we have Chief Henry Rodriguez from the L.A. County Fire Department.
What can you tell us about the fire, and what is the status at the moment?
CAPT. HENRY RODRIGUEZ, L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: The fire presently has reached 1,830 acres. We do have 80-percent containment on the fire. We expect full containment by 6:00 p.m.
CUEVAS: How optimistic are you, and how concerned are you about the weather conditions this morning?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, obviously, anytime you have wildfires, you're going to be concerned about any type of temperature changes, humidity drops. And those are our concerns. But at this point in time, we are pretty positive that we'll get a good handle on this, get it fully contained and to control the whole fire, and then we could release our equipment and go back home.
CUEVAS: What is the trickiest portion of trying to control a fire of this nature?
RODRIGUEZ: Obviously the terrain, the weather, the fuel -- all of those combinations together is a recipe for wildfires that sometimes can get way out of control or we can control rapidly. In this instance here, we were able to get a handle on it rapidly using our dozers, our helicopters and our personnel. And we were able to get in there and get a good handle on this fire and work on it throughout the night.
CUEVAS: Wonderful. Thank you very much.
That was Captain Henry Rodriguez of the L.A. County Fire Department -- Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll continue checking in -- Hena Cuevas, thank you so much.
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