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Morning News

Los Alamos Evacuee Tells Story

Aired May 11, 2000 - 9:08 a.m. ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We told you at the top of the newscast as many as 18,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in and around Los Alamos.

One of those is Layle Zongker, he is one the phone with us right now to tell his story.

Mr. Zongker, I understand you were evacuated not once, but twice.

LAYLE ZONGKER, FIRE EVACUEE: Yes, we left Los Alamos about 1:30 yesterday afternoon and we evacuated to White Rock to some friends' home. And then at about 1:30 a.m., in the morning, we evacuated White Rock and we're now down in Hawaken (ph).

KAGAN: Because you thought you where in a safe area but this fire is very unpredictable and then it headed towards the area where you had evacuated to, as I understand it.

ZONGKER: Yes, we -- you know, we -- they evacuated a lot of people to White Rock and we were just -- we had friends in White Rock and that left us fairly close to Los Alamos so we could keep track of what was going on. But then we had to reevacuate to Hawaken.

KAGAN: Do you have any idea about the status of your home right now?

ZONGKER: Well, we think our home is okay. We heard a rumor that the Los Alamos high school burnt. But then we haven't -- that hasn't been confirmed on TV or anything, and we think it was a rumor. And our house was located fairly close to the high school, and from what we can tell about 1:00, well, 1:00 or 1:30 this morning we were OK. But we're just anxiously awaiting...

KAGAN: Awaiting, yes.

ZONGKER: ... to see what's going on.

KAGAN: Was everybody able to get out okay? your family? any animals?

ZONGKER: Oh yes, we -- it's just my wife and I. All our kids are away at college or they've set up their own homes and stuff. So we -- it was just us and we got out pretty quick. KAGAN: Mr. Zongker, when you hear the background on this story: that this was a fire that was set on purpose, it was supposed to help the situation, never supposed to get out of control. And yet it would appear that the weather conditions not ideal to go about this kind of operation.

Does it make you angry at the Forest Service?

ZONGKER: Yes, I -- you know, I -- what with the driest winter on record here for about 100 years or something like that, with the winds in the spring it makes me a little angry that they went ahead with the controlled burn with the conditions. I would have just -- I didn't think that they -- you know, I thought it was ridiculous. They shouldn't have done it.

KAGAN: Well, I can understand your frustration. Layle Zongker, been evacuated not once, but twice from his home in the wake of the fires around Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Thank you for sharing your story with us and we wish you well, the best with your family and with your home.

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

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