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Firefighters Attacking Blaze at Biblical Arts Center in Dallas, Texas; Iraq: A Year Later

Aired June 28, 2005 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're doing it live from the control room right now. We're monitoring a couple stories for you.
First, we want to take you to this live picture via our affiliate WFAA. This is what I can tell you so far as we've been getting information in from our affiliate and, of course, the Associated Press. Firefighters attacking what appears to be a pretty major fire at the Biblical Arts Center in Dallas, Texas. We're told that heavy smoke was pouring in from the roof of the northern end of the museum and art gallery there. You can see it's highlighted -- there you go. You got it by the top. You can see the smoke now at the top of that museum.

No word yet on the amount of damage yet to the center's art collection and the artifacts, but it is a multi-alarm fire. No injuries reported at this time.

Now we're getting pictures from another one of our affiliates. This one coming to us courtesy of KDFW. You can you see the top of the roof, the firefighter. Pretty amazing picture here when you see just how this building is and what these firefighters do to come on top of a situation like this, of course dousing it with water, but pretty dramatic picture, just looking at the height, and what this firefighter is up against.

So once again we've got these live pictures coming to us from two affiliates, WFAA of Dallas and also KDFW, as firefighters are desperately trying to put out this multi-alarm fire at the Biblical Arts Center in Dallas, Texas.

We'll keep you posted on more information as we get it. Right now, at this point, no reported injuries.

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PHILLIPS: Once again, an update on that fire that we're following for you out of Dallas, Texas. Live pictures now from our affiliate KDFW. You can see the smoke billowing out the Biblical Arts Center in Dallas, Texas. Good news is no reported injuries at this time. The bad news is, there could be some serious damage to the artifacts and to the artwork inside this museum in Dallas, Texas.

Firefighters working it from the top and the bottom. They've also made entry into that building there, trying to put out a fire. Not sure how it started, but so far, no injuries reported. And we will continue to update what we find out from the North Park Center in north Dallas here at the Biblical Arts Center in Dallas, Texas.

Firefighters there on the courtyard still working that fire from every angle. We'll keep you posted.

Celebration and optimism, that's what we witnessed one year ago when Iraq regained its sovereignty. And a lot has happened since then, some of it encouraging, some not.

CNN's Jennifer Eccleston brings us views from inside Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Iraq took possession of its sovereignty last June, Dr. Razika Alibadi (ph), a specialist in blood diseases, echoed the hopes of millions of Iraqis. A change of fortune was within her grasp and her country's. One year later, at her ward in Ibn Al Baladi Hospital, she says change is apparent. But...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But (INAUDIBLE) wars regarding security.

ECCLESTON: For Dr. Razika, the violent insurgency and the lack of personal security overshadows a year with the transfer of sovereignty and elections in January. Instead, she said it's a year of misery, misery over losing colleagues to bombings and kidnappings, misery over not feeling safe enough to walk freely in her own city. And most of all, misery for her young patients, victims of a debilitating blood disease she believes already suffer too much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are waiting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It is a tunnel. It's a dark tunnel now. But we are searching to find the light.

ECCLESTON: Engineer Saad Badri shows us a painting he drew when he was in his own dark tunnel in 1982. He says the eyes project a fear that he and his country had no future.

Twenty-one years later, from a balcony in his Baghdad apartment, Saad Brdri saw what he says is the beginning of the light at the end of his tunnel, the iconic moment when Iraqis pulled down the statue of Saddam Hussein. A symbol of a regime and a man deposed, a day he will never forget.

SAAD BADRI, ENGINEER: People proved that they are thinking people. They are brave people. They are -- they can cooperate. And do miracles.

ECCLESTON: But Saad Badri says even that day paled in comparison to another, the day he and eight million other Iraqis voted.

BADRI: This is the point where the political process begins. I'm very happy at that moment. I think it's a great moment.

ECCLESTON: The father of two says the cycle of violence makes his heart skip a beat every time his teenage son and daughter leave for school. But still, there is much to be proud of.

BADRI: Change begins, because the country needs change. You see? With every change you should be optimistic.

ECCLESTON: Ahmed al-Baraq (ph) shared that sense of optimism a year ago when he sat on the Governing Council. But the human rights lawyer says his hopes are now tempered. He wonders how Iraqis can claim sovereignty while foreign forces still occupy their country when Iraq's military can't secure its borders, its cities, its infrastructure and it's people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't have a switch to make it on and off to have your sovereignty back. I think we must accept the idea of having our sovereignty graduated day by day.

ECCLESTON: Al-Baraq is helping to graduate his country's sovereignty by helping write his country's new constitution. It's one step forward in the race for Iraq's political ownership, he says, but crossing the finish line requires something else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you identify democracy, you will find the answer. Democracy means giving the authority from hand to hand peacefully.

And if we make this possible, without interference from an outside force, from the international -- multinational forces, I think this will be a big achievement. And this is -- will be the refalling of the statue of Saddam, not (INAUDIBLE), because at that point you are having our country back.

ECCLESTON: Three Iraqi voices, one common theme: sovereignty is a great first step but means little when real change often feels so far away.

Jennifer Eccleston, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: For all those who support a democratic Iraq, these are challenging times indeed, filled with opportunity, uncertainty and hope.

Major General James "Spider" Marks has seen the changes firsthand, having taken part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He joins us now live from Washington. General, great to see you.

MAJ. GEN. "SPIDER" JAMES MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET): Hi, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, of course, one major historic moment, and that indeed was the elections. But I want to talk about even more so, as we look forward to the trial of Saddam Hussein, just all the evidence that has been gathered over the years, from the gassing of the Kurds to the mass graves. I mean, there is a strong case.

MARKS: Well, there's a very strong case. Let me go back to your very first comment, if I can, Kyra. The elections were seminal, and what followed the elections, in spite of the violence that's occurred, is an Iraqi government that is increasingly inclusive. The leader of the new Iraq is a Sunni. He's from a minority religious party, a party that was a religious sect that under Saddam had been minimized and had been brutalized. And so what you see is some tremendous steps that are being -- taking place right now in Iraq to achieve this new democracy that we saw in the piece by Susan (sic) Eccelston.

PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, the evidence coming together for a trial supposedly to start within a couple of months. Saddam Hussein, the mass graves, the gassing of the Kurds. I don't think evidence gets stronger than that.

MARKS: No, it doesn't. I mean, it's very obvious when the multinational forces came into Iraq back in March of '03, and after the coalition forces came into Baghdad, and the missions to achieve some degree of stability, albeit it's not there yet, yet the movement is gaining momentum. Mass graves were uncovered throughout Iraq. And it was just an absolutely clear signal of the brutality of that regime that had been in place, understand now, for three generations. And so this burgeoning democracy will take time to build.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now let's -- got to talk about the insurgency. Looking at these numbers that have been compiled within the last year, the Associated Press put these numbers together. The Brookings Institution put these numbers together. Insurgency attacks, daily attacks, 45. That was a year ago. Now, this year, 70 daily attacks, with regard to the insurgency. What's going on?

MARKS: Two factors. Let me try to simplify it. Two factors. Number one, the attacks are against very soft targets. They are against the Iraqi people, the people that are trying -- the families that are trying to establish a new Iraq and achieve growth for their families.

The second factor is the pervasive nature of the recruitment that's taking place throughout Southwest Asia. It's not an Iraq problem. You have young men in the Horn of Africa, and in Egypt and in Sudan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in Syria that are recruited because they are jihadists in some way and they believe that they, in their mind, that they are going to make a difference, and this route's going to take them to some degree of an attack against a U.S. or a multinational force in Iraq.

PHILLIPS: But they realize they're being deceived, right?

MARKS: Well, Kyra, in many cases, they don't. And that's the cynical nature of this recruitment. What is taking place is they think they're going to go up against U.S. or multinational forces. They come across into Syria, they're put into safe houses, they're facilitated across the border, they go into the Sunni triangle or elsewhere within Iraq and they're held separated and completely distant from that IED, that explosive improvised explosive device in a car.

They're married up with it at the very last moment. And they're told, you know that thing about going after U.S. forces or other international forces? Forget that. You're going to go after a school and kill as many women and children as you can.

PHILLIPS: See, I think that's where they're deceived. They think they're coming into this because it's going to bring them closer to God and they're fighting against an enemy. And then they get there and they're just turned into a suicide bomber killing innocent people.

MARKS: Absolutely. The deception is not clear to them until the very last minute, and they are trapped and they are a part of it.

PHILLIPS: And it's amazing that this recruiting is taking place. The main tool, the Internet.

MARKS: It is.

PHILLIPS: General James "Spider" Marks, always a pleasure, sir, thank you.

MARKS: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, the general and I, of course, just talked about the challenges in Iraq. But we want to make sure that we point out a number of positive changes that are also taking place, in addition to the elections and also all the evidence brought forth against Saddam Hussein.

The Brookings Institution, like I said, compiled some numbers. In June 2004, there were 1,200,000 telephone subscribers, including cell phones. Now there's more than three million. Then In 2004, there were 175 trained judges. Now there are 351. Also, there were 59,000 Internet subscribers in 2004, now there's almost 150,000.

And then we found some recent images from Iraq, pictures that were taken in 2005. Don't forget all the businesses that are now up and running, like this Gold Shop here.

And also, the Iraqi soccer team almost made it to the Olympics. It was historic. Don't forget Saddam's son Uday used to beat Iraqi soccer players that didn't even win a game. Now these men almost made it to the Olympics.

And hundreds of schools have been built and rebuilt, many of them used as torture chambers in the past. Well, now kids are back in the classroom, learning.

And freedom of the press brings new meaning. In 2004, there were 150 independent newspapers and magazines. Now there are 170.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Two stories we're working for you. Just in to CNN, first a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. We're getting word from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan that a U.S. CH-47 helicopter has crashed just west of Asadabad. It was transporting additional forces into a certain area in support of U.S. forces that are currently conducting counterterrorism operations.

As you know, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters on a daily basis are used for CAS missions, close air-support missions, to help the forces on the ground get in to areas that are being run by the insurgency, or getting into areas that may not be safe. You know, these helicopters transport, of course, additional soldiers to get into the area. They also provide attack -- an attack platform in necessary, if troops on the ground are in trouble.

And now we're getting word this helicopter, a CH-47, has crashed just wet of Asadabad. Not quite sure about how was on onboard. We'll try and get more details for you and provide them to you as soon as we get them.

Now another story that we're following for you, and this story we have live pictures actually; it's a fire in Dallas, Texas. Firefighters working as hard as they can to attack this multi-alarm fire on the Biblical Arts Center in Dallas, Texas. So far, we've heard there are no injuries.

Lieutenant Joe Lavender on the phone with us from the Dallas area.

Lieutenant, what can you tell us about how this fire started and if, indeed, it's been evacuated and there are no injuries at this point?

LT. JOEL LAVENDER, DALLAS FIRE RESCUE: Right now we're not sure exactly how this fire started. There was a church group inside the Biblical Arts Center going through a tour. And they noticed the smoke -- the smell of smoke. The staff at the Biblical Arts Center did a wonderful job of making sure that they were evacuated.

Right now we have tremendous challenges because of 100-degree heat and the unique structure of the building, trying to fight this fire right now.

PHILLIPS: Yes, do have you any idea how this fire started? and how big this fire is at this point? Is it just in a certain area of the museum? Has it been contained in a certain area or is it spreading throughout the entire museum?

LAVENDER: Right now the fire is spreading through the museum and we're not exactly sure how this fire started, but we're trying to talk about all witnesses and everyone that may have been inside to find out what they saw and what clues they may be able to give us as far as helping to find out the cause of this fire.

PHILLIPS: Now, Lieutenant, I know you're with Dallas Fire Rescue. You're not a curator in this museum. But you live there in Dallas, Texas. It's the Biblical Art Center in Dallas, Texas. If indeed this fire is spreading throughout entire museum, I assume we're talking about some amazing pieces of art, some artifacts. Can you give me a sense of what's in this museum that's so valuable?

LAVENDER: I think the main thing is, when you think of religion in Texas or religion in the South, this was a very large issue. But any time you think of a Biblical Arts Center, we have many people that come here for the tours, that come to see rare and unique artifacts. So this is definitely a blow to the city of Dallas as a whole, not only as a building, but also as a source of art and a source of religious expression.

PHILLIPS: And of course, I don't want to put you on the spot, but have you been through there recently? Are you able to tell me anything interesting that are inside the museum?

LAVENDER: Well, I think right now we've got a wood graver that has his art on the exhibit. (INAUDIBLE) beautiful situation, a beautiful safe. And it's hard to explain over the telephone what's inside without actually going inside, and then also, my own personal feeling is it's a disappointment when you see a building like this that is being heavily damaged by smoke, flame and fire.

PHILLIPS: Yes, you always think of an empty building can easily be rebuilt. But something like this, specifically a biblical arts center, with some pretty amazing stuff that stems back of course centuries, is tough to take in.

Well, Lieutenant Joe Lavender, Dallas Fire Rescue, sure appreciate your time, sir. We'll monitor how this works out.

At this point, though, we want to tell you, no injuries reported. Lieutenant Lavender saying he believes that church group that was inside touring the museum, and also the employees within that museum, have been evacuated. Firefighters working this fire that's spreading throughout a museum. We'll keep you updated on everything else that we find out.

Take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

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PHILLIPS: And this just in to CNN. Novelist and historian Shelby Foote has died. You'll remember Shelby Foote, his Southern storyteller's touch, you could say, inspired millions of people to read his multivolume work on the Civil Car. He was 88 years old. The Mississippi native and long-time Memphis resident, as you know, wrote six novels, but is definitely best remembered three-volume, 3,000-page history of the Civil War and his appearance, of course, on the PBS series "The Civil War." By the way, it took his 20 years to write that book.

The second hour of LIVE FROM is straight ahead. We'll more on that helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Stay with us.

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