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Morning News

Baden: Winter Storms Only Real Hope to Put Out Fires

Aired August 8, 2000 - 11:29 a.m. ET

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

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Another really tough day in parts of the American west. Fires continue to burn in 11 different western states. And they're consuming right now thousands of acres of forest. President Clinton will tour the area, parts of Idaho, anyway, today, bringing $150 million in emergency cash to help join that fight.

Joining us now on the phone now with an update, Bill Baden, the National Association of State Foresters. He's in Boise, there, in Idaho.

Sir, can you hear me?

BILL BADEN, NATIONAL ASSOC. OF STATE FORESTERS: Yes, I can.

HEMMER: At this time yesterday we were getting nothing but bad news. Is there anything better to report today from your part of the country?

BADEN: Well, we're probably middle of the road with news today. We still have 66 large fires in the western states. Nine new fires, mostly in the eastern and western Great Basin areas, Nevada, Utah and southern Idaho.

HEMMER: Do you have the human power, man and woman power there, to keep track of all these? Earlier it was said that 60 broke out maybe a week ago and you were able to put those out. But then you're chasing so many other fires in so many different areas. How stretched are you, sir?

BADEN: We're pretty thin, but we get our area from the area regional geographic coordination centers. There are 11 of them in the western states and they provide that information to us here at the fire center. And we coordinate the data for the national figures.

HEMMER: We're getting word that it may take a good winter snowfall, possibly in late October, to help you out with this situation. Is that an exaggeration? or is that what you're looking at right now for help?

BADEN: No, I do not think that's an exaggeration. Some of the fires in the back country and some in the wilderness areas will be with us until we get winter storms.

HEMMER: All right, well, listen, best of luck to you out there. And hopefully your weather conditions improve. Before we let you go, quickly, do you know the forecast for today? any help there?

BADEN: Forecast for today is not particularly good. We have lightning forecast for Northern California, Oregon, moving into Washington, Idaho and Montana later in the week. And some of those storms will be dry. So we have the potential of additional new fires.

HEMMER: And do you anticipate more evacuations right now, sir?

BADEN: It's hard to say, but the forecast in the Montana area where we have the current, mandatory and voluntary evacuations, they're going to have more of the same type of weather they had yesterday. So there may be additional acreage burned and there could be additional evacuations.

HEMMER: All right, Bill Baden, by Boise, through telephone. Thank you, sir, best of luck to you and the folks out there, all right?

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