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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Fire Information Officer George Lennon
Aired June 30, 2002 - 07:02 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: First up this hour, Arizona's wildfires and the man suspected of setting the largest -- one of the largest fires in the state's history. We get the latest details now on the firefighting efforts and the arrest of that suspect. Joining us by phone is George Lennon, the fire information officer for the Rodeo-Chediski fires. He joins us from Show Low, Arizona. Thanks, George, for being with us.
GEORGE LENNON, FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER, RODEO-CHEDISKI FIRE: Yes, good morning. How are you?
PHILLIPS: Good, very good. Thank you. What can you tell us about this firefighter?
LENNON: Well, what I can confirm is that last night at 8:15 local time, agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Special Investigation Unit and members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Forest Service Law Enforcement arrested an individual from White River, which is located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
PHILLIPS: And are you giving out a name or any specifics? Can you tell us what evidence led to this arrest?
LENNON: Well at this time he has not appeared before the U.S. Magistrate and until he's made an initial appearance, we're not permitted to release his name or the circumstances except to say that he's being held at a -- at a -- at a undisclosed location mostly to protect him -- protect him from probably a very angry public.
PHILLIPS: No doubt. The status of the fire now, what can you give us, the update?
LENNON: Well the -- we're at 437,000 acres and but we actually had a pretty good day on the western part near an area called Forest Lakes. The line held. The fire actually laid down some and we're feeling confident again that we might be able to turn this (UNINTELLIGIBLE) protect that community.
PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, evacuees are able to return back home in some parts?
LENNON: Absolutely. A large number of evacuees were able to return to the communities of Show Low and Pine Top and surrounding areas and there was a very joyous period back here. It was -- you know for the last week or so most of our calls have been related to the fire, but yesterday all the calls were (UNINTELLIGIBLE) come home and we were just saying come on back home.
PHILLIPS: Back to the firefighters, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, can you tell us anything about his state of mind or his condition right now when he was brought in?
LENNON: Actually all I can just say at this point is that he was apprehended in White River and ...
PHILLIPS: And he's being charged with?
LENNON: With arson related to the starting of the fire on June 18 in the area we're calling the "rodeo fire".
PHILLIPS: Did he turn himself in or was he turned in by fellow firefighters?
LENNON: No, he was apprehended by agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and agents from the Forest Service.
PHILLIPS: All right, George Lennon, Fire Information Officer, thank you very much. We'll continue to follow the story.
LENNON: All right, thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well the man suspected of setting that massive blaze in eastern Arizona is charged with arson and faces a court appearance today. The flames from that huge fire came within 2,000 feet of Show Low and for a few tense days it looked like the blaze would burn right through the town, but fire crews were able to fend it off and now many of the nearly 8,000 residents who evacuated are home again.
CNN's David Mattingly has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tears of joy for Dennis and Darlene Scholtz.
DARLENE SCHOLTZ: I haven't cried this whole time. I haven't been really emotional this whole time. It's just getting home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SCHOLTZ: It feels good.
MATTINGLY: The home they left a week ago in the fire-threatened town of Show Low, Arizona still standing, untouched. The sprinkler they left running on the roof turned off and not needed.
NELLA EGNOR, SHOW LOW RESIDENT: When I left Saturday at the bottom of the hill it looked like fireworks.
MATTINGLY: There was a collective sense of relief and gratitude as Show Low residents like Nella Egnor finally returned to the homes they were certain would not survive the worst forest fire in state history.
EGNOR: Oh it seems wonderful. I just want to thank all the firefighters and everybody that worked so hard to save our homes. They were wonderful.
MATTINGLY: It was just four days ago that firefighters still could not say for certain that Show Low could be saved. It wasn't until hundreds of acres of burnouts were set by crews to clear the forest of fuel, but the fire slowed and stopped at the south edge of the city limits, less than a half mile from Galen Thomas' (ph) house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like I want to do cartwheels.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're home.
MATTINGLY: But through the joy, the gratitude, and relief there is also sorrow. Thoughts of how communities west of Show Low and the people whose homes are among the hundreds that could not be saved.
And as they go about the task of getting on with their lives, Show Low residents say they will be ever mindful of the destructive power behind the fire that continues to menace other communities and how close it came to taking away everything they had.
David Mattingly, CNN, Show Low, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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