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CNN Sunday Morning

Update on California Fires

Aired November 02, 2003 - 07:24   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: An update on those wildfires for you now. Across Southern California, the first of the battle-weary firefighters are packing up and heading home. Cold, wet weather has helped reign in the firestorms that churned across a total of 750,000 acres and blackened an area equal to the size of Rhode Island.
One new concern does loom. Some officials worry that rains could unleash mudslides on land stripped of vegetation. The Simi Valley fire was declared 100 percent contained last night. It had devoured more than 108,000 acres and destroyed 64 buildings.

East of Los Angeles, fire crews are scrambling to dig fire breaks (ph) around communities in the San Bernardino Mountains. The blaze there has marched across 90,000 acres and leveled about 850 homes. Wet, chilly weather has slowed the advance, but troublesome Santa Ana winds could breathe new life into the threat within days.

And crews are reporting more than 80 percent containment of the largest wildfire in state history, the Cedar fire. It destroyed more than 2,200 homes and 281,000 acres in the mountains near San Diego. Full containment is expected by tomorrow night.

We do have CNN correspondents posted along the many points of those wildfires. Let's begin with the fearsome Cedar fire in San Diego County. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken live in San Diego.

And I guess it's not so fearsome anymore, Bob?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, no. As a matter of fact, it's not all that typical that when you hear cold, wet weather, that is regarded as good news. But for the reasons you explained, it is good news.

The fire is abating. Now, nobody feels that -- to use the expression they're out of the woods, because of course the possibility exists that the winds will up again, things will get dry, and these fires that are not all the way out yet could rekindle and cause more of the huge problems that they caused, like in this neighborhood.

So that's the good news on the big scale. And as people came back to their homes here in this neighborhood, the Scripps Ranch neighborhood, for instance, where there were so many houses destroyed, there was some good news on a smaller scale, too.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LORI MIVEL, HOMEOWNER: There's got to be something in here.

FRANKEN (voice-over): Like thousands of others, Mark and Lori Mivel (ph) are combing the incinerated ash and rubble that just a week ago had been the family shelter. They had seen the fire miles away. It had only slightly marred their beautiful view. But suddenly, they had to run for their lives, and now they are sifting through all that is left, the bits and pieces, parts of their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you looking for here?

MIVEL: Some of my jewelry.

FRANKEN: As it happens, Lori Mivel (ph) last Saturday had not been wearing her wedding band. But now, for hour after frustrating hour, they searched for it. In fact, they have just about given up.

MIVEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

FRANKEN: But she didn't have to. The full day of scratching through the grim debris was suddenly worth it. Lori (ph) found her wedding ring.

MIVEL: It's been a good day. Man, it's a miracle (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out of there or anything. It wasn't in the box. It was just in there. It was just -- I just grabbed a shovel and there it was.

Oh my gosh. Life is good. Oh my goodness.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: After all that, Carol, after all they've gone through in a week and a day since the fires just completely just incinerated their homes, some people are now saying they're beginning to have good days again -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, I was so afraid you were going to tell us she didn't find it. And boy, we needed to smile this morning, Bob.

FRANKEN: You know me too well.

COSTELLO: I'm so glad she found it though. I had a tear in my eye. And she put it on her finger -- and good for her.

Thank you. Bob Franken, reporting live from San Diego.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 2, 2003 - 07:24   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: An update on those wildfires for you now. Across Southern California, the first of the battle-weary firefighters are packing up and heading home. Cold, wet weather has helped reign in the firestorms that churned across a total of 750,000 acres and blackened an area equal to the size of Rhode Island.
One new concern does loom. Some officials worry that rains could unleash mudslides on land stripped of vegetation. The Simi Valley fire was declared 100 percent contained last night. It had devoured more than 108,000 acres and destroyed 64 buildings.

East of Los Angeles, fire crews are scrambling to dig fire breaks (ph) around communities in the San Bernardino Mountains. The blaze there has marched across 90,000 acres and leveled about 850 homes. Wet, chilly weather has slowed the advance, but troublesome Santa Ana winds could breathe new life into the threat within days.

And crews are reporting more than 80 percent containment of the largest wildfire in state history, the Cedar fire. It destroyed more than 2,200 homes and 281,000 acres in the mountains near San Diego. Full containment is expected by tomorrow night.

We do have CNN correspondents posted along the many points of those wildfires. Let's begin with the fearsome Cedar fire in San Diego County. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken live in San Diego.

And I guess it's not so fearsome anymore, Bob?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, no. As a matter of fact, it's not all that typical that when you hear cold, wet weather, that is regarded as good news. But for the reasons you explained, it is good news.

The fire is abating. Now, nobody feels that -- to use the expression they're out of the woods, because of course the possibility exists that the winds will up again, things will get dry, and these fires that are not all the way out yet could rekindle and cause more of the huge problems that they caused, like in this neighborhood.

So that's the good news on the big scale. And as people came back to their homes here in this neighborhood, the Scripps Ranch neighborhood, for instance, where there were so many houses destroyed, there was some good news on a smaller scale, too.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LORI MIVEL, HOMEOWNER: There's got to be something in here.

FRANKEN (voice-over): Like thousands of others, Mark and Lori Mivel (ph) are combing the incinerated ash and rubble that just a week ago had been the family shelter. They had seen the fire miles away. It had only slightly marred their beautiful view. But suddenly, they had to run for their lives, and now they are sifting through all that is left, the bits and pieces, parts of their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you looking for here?

MIVEL: Some of my jewelry.

FRANKEN: As it happens, Lori Mivel (ph) last Saturday had not been wearing her wedding band. But now, for hour after frustrating hour, they searched for it. In fact, they have just about given up.

MIVEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

FRANKEN: But she didn't have to. The full day of scratching through the grim debris was suddenly worth it. Lori (ph) found her wedding ring.

MIVEL: It's been a good day. Man, it's a miracle (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out of there or anything. It wasn't in the box. It was just in there. It was just -- I just grabbed a shovel and there it was.

Oh my gosh. Life is good. Oh my goodness.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: After all that, Carol, after all they've gone through in a week and a day since the fires just completely just incinerated their homes, some people are now saying they're beginning to have good days again -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, I was so afraid you were going to tell us she didn't find it. And boy, we needed to smile this morning, Bob.

FRANKEN: You know me too well.

COSTELLO: I'm so glad she found it though. I had a tear in my eye. And she put it on her finger -- and good for her.

Thank you. Bob Franken, reporting live from San Diego.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com