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American Morning

Firefighting Efforts in Oregon

Aired August 17, 2001 - 09:08   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Officials say that more than 2000 new fires have started since Saturday, most of them started by dry lightning, as we've heard.

For more on the effort now to fight those fires, Let's turn to Ellen Weston. She's with the Northwest Interagency Coordination, and she joins us now on the phone from Portland, Oregon.

How do things look from your perspective this morning?

ELLEN WESTON: Well, we're gaining on some of the fires and we're maintaining on others. Some still have no containment. We're having some evacuations, and we have three red cross shelters set up in Washington state at their fires.

HARRIS: As far as the evacuations go, how many do you think you're going to have to do?

WESTON: Hopefully, not many more. We are trying to do -- fight this in the way that we don't have to do more. That's our priority on these, naturally, is the structures and the people.

HARRIS: Yes. Are you going to need any more help than the National Guards men who are on their way in?

WESTON: We don't know that at this time. We're hoping we don't, but we are getting resources from every available source that we can.

HARRIS: All right. Well, we sure do wish you luck. Ellen Weston, thank you very much. We'll hope to talk to you later on under better circumstances.

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