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CNN Sunday Morning

Firefighters Out West Hope for Better Weather

Aired August 20, 2001 - 09:01   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Weary firefighters in the West are hoping better weather will help them get control of dozens of wildfires that have burned more than half-a-million acres.

We begin in Washington state, though, where exhausted firefighters are crossing their fingers, hoping the weather will help tame raging wildfires. CNN's Lilian Kim joins us now from Leavenworth. Hi, Lilian.

LILIAN KIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Out of all the fires that are going on in the state of Washington, this is highest priority. Behind me, you can see that there's quite a bit of smoke that's been building from the fire. More than 800 men and women are here to battle this blaze. What they're hoping for is the break in the weather, which could be on its way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LILIAN KIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A thick layer of smoke hovers over the town of Leavenworth, Washington, a Cascade Mountain tourist village that's only a few miles away from an active fire.

RUTH JACKSON, TOURIST: It's more hazier than I expected. I didn't think it would quite be that much. I knew it would be some, but it's like a cloud of, you know, a cloud over the town.

KIM: Although tourists continue to flock to the Bavarian-themed town, 68 homes have been evacuated. As for other home owners, they're ready to go at the moment's notice.

TERRY KUCH, LEAVENWORTH RESIDENT: Just throw some pictures in, you know, in our photo albums, and that's about it, and everything else we are going to leave behind.

KIM: So far, flames have blackened 6,500 acres near Leavenworth, one of eight major fires burning in drought-stricken Washington state. As helicopters fight the fire from the air, dousing any hot spots, thousands of firefighters on the ground are working around-the-clock in homes of containing the blaze.

With such steep and rugged terrain, fire crews say it could take a while. BETTY HIGGINS, U.S. FOREST SERVICE: Can't get a douser in this, so mostly it's hand-lined, and that's hard work on our firefighters. It's dry, it's hot. And so, you have got some health issues that we are concerned with, and of course the weather is always something that we are watching. With all these different fronts moving in, we have to keep a really close eye on that to make sure that the firefighters don't get caught off guard.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KIM (on camera): There is possibly some good news. Rain is in the forecast for the coming days. If that does happen that is great news for firefighters, so everybody here is keeping their fingers crossed.

Reporting live from Leavenworth, Washington, I'm Lilian Kim. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Lilian, thanks so much.

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