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California Wildfires
Aired October 27, 2003 - 13:05 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: For a day now, two fires that were huge in their own right have been burning as one with a front more than 35 miles wide.
Fire Captain Greg Cleveland joins me from San Bernardino County with the latest from there.
Captain, let's start, first of all, with this injured firefighter. What can you tell us?
CAPT. GREG WILLIAMS, LOS ANGELES CO. FIRE DEPT.: Yes, we just did get confirmation, there was a firefighter in the fire area just back up here behind us, was injured. He was apparently in the area of large hay bales they had just been extinguish adjacent to a structure. He did apparently get burns on his left lower legs, second and third- degree burns. He has been transferred to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, to the burn unit, and he is reported to be in good condition at this time.
PHILLIPS: Well, captain, we know this is what your men and women train to do, but give us -- obviously, these fires are so destructive and so dangerous. Can you give us an idea of what they are tackling minute by minute right now, the conditions they are under, and how they are correcting themselves as well as fighting these fires?
WILLIAMS: Best analogy I can give you is this is a fight, this is a battle. Firefighters are in amongst the homes. You can see up behind us, you see the helicopters. This fire has just blown up, coming down this canyon, pushing down with the winds right on to these homes. I was just up there and witnessed just some great efforts by the helicopters and the firefighters that just saved two homes we thought really night be in jeopardy.
PHILLIPS: How are you dealing with fatigue? How often do you rotate, and switch out? And, also, you've been getting additional help, right? Nevada firefighters coming in?
WILLIAMS: We have firefighters from throughout the state. I've heard we're getting firefighters from other states as well, and we can utilize all the resources that we get. We have over 1,300 firefighters on our fire, and we have additional firefighters on order, but we're all competing for resources through all of these fires.
PHILLIPS: Obviously, your firefighters know how to deal with the air aspect and breathing devices. What are you telling residents in the area about protecting respiratory situation? WILLIAMS: Well, hopefully, the residents in these areas where we're at, hopefully they're not in the there. They've all been issued a mandatory evacuation order, but that does not permit us to physically remove somebody from their home that refuses to. So if they're in those areas, we would like to, again, just reiterate, please evacuate your areas. Allow yourself that time. That's why we give you that advance warning. Firefighters are trained to come in here, to take that risk, and hopefully it's a calculated risk, and we can make a good effort to save your homes.
PHILLIPS: If, indeed, this turns out to be arson, what goes through the minds are people like you, captains and other firefighters, that go up against danger like this?
WILLIAMS: You almost -- it kind of hurts you. You don't like to think that. We are given information that's what they're looking out on a couple of these fires, and our fire in particular, that possibly it was arson. They are looking at two possible suspects, white males in a van that was seen in the area. We're asking residents that may have seen something to please come forward. And it's hard to believe we'd have to put these firefighters and these homeowners in this situation.
PHILLIPS: Captain Greg Cleveland, we can understand, we salute ale all of you as you're dealing with the circumstances.
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 27, 2003 - 13:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: For a day now, two fires that were huge in their own right have been burning as one with a front more than 35 miles wide.
Fire Captain Greg Cleveland joins me from San Bernardino County with the latest from there.
Captain, let's start, first of all, with this injured firefighter. What can you tell us?
CAPT. GREG WILLIAMS, LOS ANGELES CO. FIRE DEPT.: Yes, we just did get confirmation, there was a firefighter in the fire area just back up here behind us, was injured. He was apparently in the area of large hay bales they had just been extinguish adjacent to a structure. He did apparently get burns on his left lower legs, second and third- degree burns. He has been transferred to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, to the burn unit, and he is reported to be in good condition at this time.
PHILLIPS: Well, captain, we know this is what your men and women train to do, but give us -- obviously, these fires are so destructive and so dangerous. Can you give us an idea of what they are tackling minute by minute right now, the conditions they are under, and how they are correcting themselves as well as fighting these fires?
WILLIAMS: Best analogy I can give you is this is a fight, this is a battle. Firefighters are in amongst the homes. You can see up behind us, you see the helicopters. This fire has just blown up, coming down this canyon, pushing down with the winds right on to these homes. I was just up there and witnessed just some great efforts by the helicopters and the firefighters that just saved two homes we thought really night be in jeopardy.
PHILLIPS: How are you dealing with fatigue? How often do you rotate, and switch out? And, also, you've been getting additional help, right? Nevada firefighters coming in?
WILLIAMS: We have firefighters from throughout the state. I've heard we're getting firefighters from other states as well, and we can utilize all the resources that we get. We have over 1,300 firefighters on our fire, and we have additional firefighters on order, but we're all competing for resources through all of these fires.
PHILLIPS: Obviously, your firefighters know how to deal with the air aspect and breathing devices. What are you telling residents in the area about protecting respiratory situation? WILLIAMS: Well, hopefully, the residents in these areas where we're at, hopefully they're not in the there. They've all been issued a mandatory evacuation order, but that does not permit us to physically remove somebody from their home that refuses to. So if they're in those areas, we would like to, again, just reiterate, please evacuate your areas. Allow yourself that time. That's why we give you that advance warning. Firefighters are trained to come in here, to take that risk, and hopefully it's a calculated risk, and we can make a good effort to save your homes.
PHILLIPS: If, indeed, this turns out to be arson, what goes through the minds are people like you, captains and other firefighters, that go up against danger like this?
WILLIAMS: You almost -- it kind of hurts you. You don't like to think that. We are given information that's what they're looking out on a couple of these fires, and our fire in particular, that possibly it was arson. They are looking at two possible suspects, white males in a van that was seen in the area. We're asking residents that may have seen something to please come forward. And it's hard to believe we'd have to put these firefighters and these homeowners in this situation.
PHILLIPS: Captain Greg Cleveland, we can understand, we salute ale all of you as you're dealing with the circumstances.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
