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CNN Saturday Morning News

Dozens of Homes Destroyed in California Blaze

Aired September 08, 2001 - 08:11   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: More than two dozen homes in northern California have been damaged or destroyed by wildfires and 400 more are in the path of those fires. First light still at least an hour away in the region when another day of firefighting will begin.

We get more now from CNN's Eric Philips.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): About 500 firefighters are battling the blaze that has been roaring 70 miles north of Sacramento since Thursday morning.

ETHAN FOOT, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY: What we want to do is hold the fire on that side of this road that cuts down there.

PHILIPS: It has consumed at least 15 homes. Hundreds of others have been evacuated.

FOOT: And we're in a residential neighborhood. We've got probably 10 structures well involved and we've saved another 15 or 20.

PHILIPS: Another blaze, also in northern California, has been keeping firefighters busy since Wednesday. The Darby fire northeast of Modesto and Hathaway Pines has forced the evacuation of four subdivisions.

ROXANNE BOREAN, EVACUATED FROM HOME: We were evacuated before in '92 and it's very, very nerve wracking to not know what's happening.

PHILIPS: A wooden flume used to supply water to some 9,000 residents here has been destroyed. But no homes have been lost.

PAT KAUNERT, U.S. FOREST SERVICE: What we're trying to do right now is deflect the fire away from these homes, cool the intensity of the fire and basically direct it into an area where we can eventually cut line, cut the fire off and put the fire out.

PHILIPS: A job easier said than done.

I'm Eric Philips reporting.

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