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American Morning

Wildfire Threatens Wyoming Homes

Aired July 26, 2001 - 11:12   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A wildfire in the Teton Mountains of Wyoming is threatening several homes in the Jackson area. It's already forced some evacuations.

Joining us on the phone right now is Jackson resident Erin Spencer. Erin, hello.

ERIN SPENCER, RESIDENT: Hello.

KAGAN: What's the status of your house right now?

SPENCER: We're OK. We're about, I'd say, seven miles from what's going on, maybe a little bit more than that. So we can see it but it's got to get through another town before it gets to us, so hopefully we're OK.

KAGAN: When you say you can see it, what do you see? You see flames, you see smoke?

SPENCER: You see a big, it almost looks like someone's dropped a bomb. I mean it's just a big plume of smoke that comes up in the air and when you're in the town it obscures the sun so you can't, I mean it's almost like twilight and it, it's kind of eerie.

KAGAN: And what are conditions like there? Is it kind of dry?

SPENCER: It's been really dry for two years here, which is, that's what's exacerbated the conditions, probably made the fire that much worse. So first of all it's been dry and then it's been really windy the past couple of days, and I think that's just whipped this fire into a frenzy.

KAGAN: That's not helping. I understand you just built your house. You just finished a few months ago?

SPENCER: We did, which is one thing I'm thinking about. But there are also much closer to the fire are some really beautiful, very expensive homes and I think there are a lot of people that are quite worried about that.

KAGAN: Yes, newsworthy because a lot of celebrities have summer homes in that area. And in this modern age I understand your family's watching on the Internet to kind of keep up with the fire. SPENCER: Yes. I think most people here in Jackson are. It's tetonfires.com and that's how the town is keeping in touch with all the families. There was a huge evacuation of some of the subdivisions around here and I mean it really, it probably looked like what it looks like when there's a hurricane or a tornado or somebody because it was just bumper to bumper. And this is a pretty small town.

KAGAN: But for now you're safe?

SPENCER: We're safe.

KAGAN: Very good. Well, you stay that way. Erin Spencer joining us on the phone now from Jackson, Wyoming.

We're going to hear more in the next half hour from one of the reports who's covering the story in Jackson. Anybody who's been to that part of the world can see why celebrities and people of all ages and means love to live there. It is really, really beautiful country.

STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: And that was obviously from the video, but it was also important to hear how Ms. Spencer talked about the weather affecting the spread of the fire.

KAGAN: Right, how dry it is.

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