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CNN Live At Daybreak

Dozens of California Homes Burned in Fire

Aired August 29, 2001 - 07:01   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We've been talking all night about this very fast-moving fire in Weaverville, California. About half of the residents of this northern California town have been evacuated.

Helicopters dropped fire retardants around the town of Weaverville. The fire was burning in two directions a few hours ago. At least a dozen homes have been destroyed.

Now, Weaverville is about 220 miles north of San Francisco near Eureka.

And joining us on the telephone with an update on the fire is Jason Martin from the California Department of Forestry.

Good morning, Jason. We understand half the town has been evacuated.

What is the update there?

JASON MARTIN, CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF FORESTRY: Good morning. Yes, update: we're looking at about 1,600 plus acres that are burned. Like you said, between 6 and 12 structures have been destroyed. The mandatory evacuations are still in effect. The road closures are also still in effect. Let's see -- winds have decreased, so that has definitely helped firefighting efforts. The fire has laid down at this point, but still we're just hoping that the winds don't kick up again.

LIN: Jason, give us a sense of what it's like to be there right now. It is very early out there -- just after 4:00 in the morning.

What is happening right now?

MARTIN: The firefighters -- they're just trying to get -- you know, continue working, you know, as hard as they can, trying to get a line around the fire. Hopefully, we'll be able, you know, get some containment.

LIN: And the problem, of course, is the winds. We heard that the fire was burning in two different directions at the same time, which I know can happen in a wildfire. The sun is going to be rising in a couple of hours. What sort of challenge is that going to pose as the ground begins to heat up? MARTIN: Well, we just have to try to take the heat out of the fire, so to speak. We just have to hope that the winds stay calm. That's basically what we're hoping for right now.

There are more reinforcements on the way. The helicopters and air tankers will also be back up flying in the morning, so that will definitely help efforts.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Jason Martin with the California Department of Forestry.

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