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CNN Saturday Morning News

More News on the Southern California Fires; Blind Man Shoots Intruder; Those Who Are Forgotten in the Fire; Genarlow Wilson and Rapper T.I. Out of Jail

Aired October 27, 2007 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning everybody, from the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for starting your day with us. T.J. Holmes if off today, but not to worry, we are in good hands. Our friend Reynolds Wolf joins us now, he has bringing us stories out there in Southern California.
What a day it has been already, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Betty. The focus this morning is on this white truck. Folks take a look at this at home. Police think that the owner of this could be the fire bug. Now we are going to you inside the arson investigation in moments.

NGUYEN: And we have a story of outrage to tell you about. Four toddlers all under the age of three testing positive for cocaine. Wait until you hear how police found out.

Plus, the talker of the day. A blind man shoots an intruder in his house. Yes, he's blind. The rundown is packed with all these stories and so much more.

First up, let's get you straight to Southern California. Residents there are being asked, have you seen this pickup truck? Take a good look. It could be the key to locking up an arsonist in Southern California. The pickup is a white 1998 Ford f-150 with chrome tube running boards. Investigators say it was seen near the area where the Santiago fire started last Sunday in Orange County, $250,000 has been offered to solve the case. Finding the truck could take some luck, the f-150 was the most popular of the 69,000 f series trucks the Ford Company sold in 1998.

And if you are just joining us this morning, Reynolds Wolf is in Rancho Bernardo, California. And while many Reynolds are coming back to the burned out homes, some are still trying to save them at this hour.

WOLF: You are absolutely right. In fact less than a half mile from my very location we had a fire that just broke out. This is a morning where you had very little wind; there was a house that was smoldering. Fire crews, obviously, there are still many out at this point working. Went over, took care of the blaze. That's now been extinguished. The work is far from over. Plenty of things they'll be doing throughout much of the morning, and through out much of the day. Not just here in the San Diego area but farther north. With more wind in the forecast especially into late Sunday and Morning, there's the chance of more fires breaking out and more of the flames spreading. Now here's what's going on right now. Take a look at this. Tens of thousands of people are now returning home, some for the very first time. But many of the homes still standing have no power. They don't have water. The fires brought down many of the power lines all over the place and most of the water has been used up for fighting the fires.

And I'll tell you, there's something else facing the people out there. That happens to be the air. I can tell you first hand from right now. We can smell plastic with that smoke. You smell a little of the insulation. It's very hard to breathe. And there is that layer of dust all over the place. It's especially dangerous for people who already have breathing problems.

NGUYEN: Reynolds, can you hear me now? There we go. A lot of people have been using these masks, but some medical specialists say not even these will make a difference, the little surgical face masks. What are people doing to try to make sure that they just don't get overwhelmed with all that's in the air?

WOLF: You know the best thing that people can do is just to get out of this part of the state. Just to get to where you have some cleaner air. Who is going to leave? Think about it. If you happen to live here and you knew your home might be in danger, are you going to go? Of course not. A lot of people want to stick around in places where they are comfortable, smoke or not. It's just something many have to deal with.

I know Sanjay was talking about this. You have so many people dealing with this. This will be an issue until all the fires are extinguished or until you have such a shift in the wind pattern that everything is pushed out to sea. It's become a way of life just over the past week for many people in Southern California.

NGUYEN: Oh, yeah. It ranges through the economic levels. Want to tell you about this story, Reynolds. It really is important to point out that nice neighborhoods, even Hollywood castles, aren't the only places going up in smoke. Especially in San Diego, which is so close to the Mexican border.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez takes a look at those who are often forgotten in the fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In a remote canyon near the border, a tragic discovery in the aftermath of the Harris fire. Four charred bodies. No one knows their names or where they came from. Only that they died a horrific death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe the people were trying to flee from the fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two of the bodies looked like they were severely burned.

GUTIERREZ: Authorities say this desert corridor between San Diego and Mexico is used by border crossers. During the fires, dozens of illegal immigrants surrendered to the border patrol because they could not outrun the flames.

DAMON FOREMAN, U.S. BORDER PATROL: Border patrol is very concerned. This is a tragedy. These fires, unfortunately, do sometimes take lives. We found that is the situation right now.

GUTIERREZ: While tens of thousands evacuated to nearby shelters, many could not. They are undocumented and were afraid to ask for help, and there was another reason. I asked the father of seven from Oaxaca, Mexico, why he didn't go to an evacuation center. He said he could not go. He came to work. If he missed one or two days, he could lose his job and he has kids in Mexico to support.

You are saying they actually, while everybody else was evacuated, you are saying those workers continued to work in the fields.

ENRIQUE MORONES, BORDER ANGELS: They continued to work. There was ash falling, it was really smoky and dangerous. We came up here right away on Monday. We brought them masks, food, and blankets.

GUTIERREZ: Enrique Morones with the organization Border Angels says they work with flames and thick smoke all around them while others fled for safety.

MORONES: The Mercedes and Jaguars were leaving, the wealthy areas, they were hunched over like they are right now continuing to work. They never stopped.

GUTIERREZ: Gonzalez says he continued to work breathing in smoke and ash. Like the people in the canyon killed by the fire it was a journey Gonzalez once made himself three months ago, risking it all to work here.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, San Diego.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF: You know, that last story really highlights things that we've seen here. The difference that we have in many of the communities, about half of the million-dollar homes in this neighborhood were, indeed, spared. But there have been so many other communities that were not so lucky.

I had the chance to walk around one mobile home Park yesterday and saw in all of those homes in such a small, confined place in space with no chance to survive the blaze.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF (voice over): You had to break the news to family that everything was gone.

CAPT. SCOTT MCLEAN, CAL FIRE: Correct. Young lady, this was her first car she only had for three months.

WOLF: Pardon me for asking, but how do you do that? How do you tell someone that their home is gone and all of this is up in smoke?

MCLEAN: I'd rather tell them than keep it from them. It's not an easy job, but it has to be done.

WOLF: I, you know, what is the toughest part of the job. Is it dealing with people or dealing with their emotional toll?

MCLEAN: We've all been in this place. We've seen so much. Now they are on the receiving end of it. It's their life they have to start over again.

WOLF: How are they on insurance? Do you have any idea? Is this a total loss?

MCLEAN: As far as I understand, yes. We have at the evacuation center, FEMA and various other agencies that are starting to get on the insurance aspect, the community's support. A lot of things are taking place right now.

WOLF: So how fast did this happen? How long did it take for the flames, you think, just to get here, rush through there and spread all this damage all over this community.

MCLEAN: Seconds.

WOLF: And had they not been evacuated, what are the odds of survival?

MCLEAN: None. They had nowhere to escape.

WOLF: Look at it. I mean, it was vaporized.

MCLEAN: You saw the road in. That's the only way to be getting out, narrow two-lane road. Equipment is coming in; they are leaving at the same time.

WOLF: Is this preventable or is this just nature?

MCLEAN: This is nature. Nothing could have prevented this. Winds were 70-mile-per-hour winds going in every different direction. They came around this hill and hit the mobile home park and proceeded on through the rest of the hills.

WOLF: Through the hills.

MCLEAN: Wind-driven, fuel driven.

WOLF: Good gosh almighty. And what's even more bizarre is you look across that dry creek bed and then you have another community over there that, for the most part looks unscathed. Empty, abandoned, people evacuated, but it would look as though it was any other day.

MCLEAN: Correct. You'll see that in a lot of areas here as you go up and down Highway 94. The fire does not discriminate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF: And again, just a mind-blowing thing to see. Hundreds of distraught homeowners are still having that one huge anxious question that settles in their mind. They are wondering, am I covered? And everything you want to know about their insurance we're going to share with you. That's coming up in just a little bit, whether you live in Southern California or not. CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us in a few moments.

NGUYEN: You know, Reynolds that is such valuable information. I'm really looking forward to it because the last thing people want to do after they've lost everything is to battle with an insurance company to try to make sure that they are covered and they can rebuild. Thanks, Reynolds we will be talking to you shortly.

Let's talk about the weather right now because they are still battling those fires out in California. Karen Maginnis joins us. We've been watching these flare-ups throughout the morning and for the past week or so. Any chance rain might help things out a little bit?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: There is an onshore flow. That may bump the rainfall chances up about 20 percent. But really, very little, if any. Take a look at where the fires are situated right now about 12 major blazes burning. And the witch fire has already consumed about 200,000 acres. Now all told, we have seen 628,000 acres that have burned. So far over the past week because of all the fires that have broken out across Southern California.

An onshore flow, you've been hearing us talk a lot about that. But I will point out across the mountains from the Santa Rosa Mountains, the San Gabrielle's all the way into the southern Sierra Madre, we are looking at gusty winds there. That's fairly typical. We call it orographic (ph) winds. You get a little elevation and you start to see the winds pick up. Across Southern California, watch out because the air quality is very poor. Rain showers across the Great Lakes. That's a quick look at your weather for right now.

NGUYEN: Karen, thank you for that.

We do want to get to some other developments right now. Because there are new fears that that super bug could be spreading. A 12-year- old Brooklyn seventh grader died from the drug-resistant staff infection, also known as MRSA. Some parents are now afraid to send their kids back to the school. Health and school officials are trying to calm those fears and are meeting with parents today. We will be following that story.

This morning, Genarlow Wilson is waking up in his own bed for the first time in almost three years. Georgia's Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Wilson's ten-year sentence for having oral sex with a 15-year-old girl amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. Now he is a free young man, and he is vowing not to let his supporters down. Reverend Jesse Jackson is helping him make good on his promises. He's raising money for Wilson's college education. Rapper T.I. is also out of jail this morning. A judge released him on $3 million bond while his lawyers get ready to go to trial. The rapper whose real name is Clifford Harris, was arrested a couple of weeks ago on federal weapons charges. By law, Harris can't own a gun because he's a convicted felon. Today Harris is on house arrest and has to wear an electronic ankle bracelet.

WOLF: The big question for lots of California homeowners this morning is, will my insurance cover the fire damage? Well folks, Gerri Willis will be coming along in a few moments to talk about what kind of insurance you should have in case you live in an area with fire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Stories making news, what kind of parents are these. Houston police say these parents were arrested because four of their eight children tested positive for cocaine. All four kids were under the age of 3.

A 75-year-old blind man shot at an intruder who broke into his home and actually hit him in the neck to be exact. Not a bad shot for Arthur Williams who lives in Florida and has been blind most of his life. He said he bought a gun to protect himself, which he did -- Reynolds.

WOLF: First, the shock and grief and then the big questions. The inevitable questions. What is my insurance going to cover? How do I file a claim? There's a lot of confusion out there. Thankfully, we have some answers. CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis has all of those answers for you right now.

Hey, Gerri. Good morning. I've got one big question for you right off the top. That is that people are starting to get back to their homes. What is the insurance situation like?

GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Imagine walking back to a house like this. This is essentially their garage, completely leveled. You can see the car right here. It's a mess. And people are coming back. They are upset about their house, obviously. And they have to almost immediately start thinking about the financial aspect of this, their insurance. The sad part of this, I've got to tell you, Reynolds, a lot of people are going to find out they are underinsured.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans don't have enough insurance to cover themselves in the event that something like this happens. So people are going to have to get busy. Contact their agent right away. Get on it and see what kind of coverage they have. Many people lost their documents in this as well. So they don't even have a copy of their policy. Reynolds.

WOLF: Gerri, there was a huge insurance nightmare for residents after Katrina and even back during the 2003 wildfires in California. Now the question is, are people going to have a similar problem with this situation?

WILLIS: Well, there are already questions about insurance coverage. There have been reports that the cost of insurance premiums will double. There have been questions about whether new policies are even now being underwritten. But there are very big differences between Katrina and what's going on here.

First of all, the scale of the disasters are completely different. Katrina was 350,000 houses demolished. Here it's something like 1800. The scale is different. The other thing to mention here is that fire is what they call a covered hazard. Fire damage is covered under a standard homeowner's policy. Hurricanes are not. So these folks will be asking for the insurers to make good on a promise that they have made. At the end of the day, they should have good claims. But I'm sure these insurers will be overwhelmed with folks coming through their front door asking for money -- Reynolds.

WOLF: No question about it, Gerri. Another huge question for you, what is coming up on "OPEN HOUSE"?

WILLIS: We've got a really great show. We've got stories from people who have been through this, what they are doing now. And then we have a little ray of hope for you, Reynolds. We've got a product that could save your house from fire. I think we probably have some video for you to look at now. It's a fascinating product. It's actually made out of canola oil. You cover your house in it and it could save you. We were just getting our arms around the technology. A fascinating look at something you can do.

Join us at 9:30 a.m. right here on CNN. We'll have more details on the insurance crisis and this new product.

WOLF: Thanks so much, Gerri Willis. Folks, tune in. You'll learn so much. You always do on her show.

All right. Let's send it over to Betty. Betty, you have more, too.

NGUYEN: Yes. I do. I'm really interested in that new product that you can spray on your house. Gerri will have that.

But in the meantime, it's enough to make your blood boil.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's bad enough that my house burned down. I've lost my real estate. And losing my dog on top of that is another blow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Thankfully, though, there is a happy ending. The homecoming that is straight ahead.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Josh Levs over at the Dotcom desk. Now we run some video online that you have got to see. Look at this it's like a drive-through lane for refilling those firefighting tanker planes but the planes don't stop. They just keep going through the water. I'm going to explain this to you. It is all coming up straight ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF: Are you like me? Are you a dog lover? Well, if you are, then you better grab a Kleenex. And then, well, you need to give your best buddy a hug while you watch Teddy's story.

Lena Lewis has the latest on this story from San Diego affiliate KUSI.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NANNETTE WIER, DAD'S DOG STOLEN: I don't know if they just wanted him, in which case I will hope they give him back because he is part of a family that loves him. And really needs him right now.

LENA LEWIS, KUSI: Nannette Wier devastated and exhausted, made a plea for the safe return of her dog Teddy who was taken from the back of her parent's truck while they were inside an insurance office.

WIER: When they came out, somebody had cut the leash and taken the dog.

GEROME WIER, DOG STOLEN: It's bad enough that my house burnt down. I lost my real estate. And losing my dog on top of that is another blow. Sometimes when they come in bunches like that, it's hard to take.

LEWIS: Signs are posted in this Poway neighborhood hoping that someone would spot Teddy and bring him back to his family. And somebody did. Hours after Wier's plea, another family found Teddy and brought him home.

WIER: It feels like the family is together again and the house really doesn't matter and I didn't have to tell my son he was missing. I found him before I had to tell him.

LEWIS: Even though the family is now homeless, they find joy and comfort in the fact that their beloved dog is safe and sound.

All the rest, they say, can be worked out.

MICHAEL WIER, FIRE VICTIM: My mom and dad lost their house. They are in their 80s and 90s. My sister lost her house. And my nephew lost his dog, but the dog came back and the family is back together and everything is going to be all right.

RANDY READY: I call him Teddy bear. I didn't know his name was Teddy. He just looked like a big bear to me.

The heroes of the day former Padre and current coach Randy Ready and his family they came across Teddy and put two and two together.

READY: We started talking about it. Did you see something from Qualcomm? No way it's the same dog, but that was awesome.

LEWIS: So is the Wier family. If Teddy could talk, he would agree, too.

Lena Lewis, KUSI News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF: And he gets ice cream, too. How about that? What a great ending. Don't you just want to reach through the television and give him a hug? Teddy did have a very happy ending.

But we have to keep in mind there are lots of other San Diego pets that are lost and injured, or injured because of all these wildfires.

Now coming up next hour I'm going to give you an update from the president of the local Humane Society and details on how you can help. It's a community effort.

NGUYEN: And it's not just dogs and cats. They have a lot of other animals they are trying to save as well, Reynolds. So a lot on their hands. So glad Teddy is back home. And he got ice cream.

WOLF: Oh, yeah. Got to like that, dogs, ice cream. Can't go wrong with that combination.

NGUYEN: Well we thank you and we'll be talking with you shortly. In the meantime, it is important to remember nine major fires are still not contained in Southern California. Josh Levs of the Dotcom desk found a Web site that can help you stay on top of all of those.

LEVS: It's complicated. There have been so many fires all week.

NGUYEN: The Witch fire, the Harris fire. You lose count after a while.

LEVS: It changes constantly how much is contained.

Right now there are nine that are not fully contained. We want to help you in California, those worried about people and those just following this story. Know where things stand in all these. One good place to go is this Web page it is called Inci Web, it traces through all the different fires, all the latest statics, what percentage containment does it have. Let's take a look at one in particular and that is Santiago, I want you to take a look at that.

We have a picture from that fire. That's a fire you are hearing us talk about a lot today. Now right before the break, I mentioned to you we have a video we want to show you that our producer Glen found on Liveleak.com. One of the tanker planes that uses water to tackle the fires. This is how it works. They go running through the water and they don't stop. They just keep going. They go low enough that the water gets into the aircraft.

Then after this, the camera turns around and you see another one right there. We have fascinating pictures you'll see throughout the day. You can still send your photos and videos to us at CNN.com. We'll keep bringing you more stuff throughout the day. NGUYEN: I always wondered how they did that with those planes.

LEVS: To keep going as fast as possible. They don't stop.

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you Josh.

Thousands of distraught homeowners with one very anxious question. Am I covered? It is something everyone needs to know, not just the people who lost their homes in California. CNN's Gerri Willis is coming up on "OPEN HOUSE" with everything that you need to know about fire insurance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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