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Sunday Morning News

Firefighters Risk it All to Battle California Wildfires

Aired August 6, 2000 - 8:17 a.m. ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In California, fires have burned more than 88,000 acres now. With the intense heat, erratic winds and the rugged terrain, more than a dozen firefighters have been hurt on the fire lines in southern California.

Kristen Simoes of CNN affiliate KCRA in Sacramento tells us that two of them were very lucky.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN SIMOES, KCRA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For firefighters Chris Hayden and Ehron Phillips, home never looked so good.

UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: I missed her (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I told you, all right.

SIMOES: It was an emotional reunion, a hero's welcome for the two men injured this week on the fire lines in southern California, a blaze that overtook the engine and four man crew inside, one that 23- year-old Chris Hayden won't soon forget.

CHRIS HAYDEN, INJURED FIREFIGHTER: The winds picked up and it blew up the spot and that's when we knew it was going to come. So it just kind of overran us and we were just trying to find shelter.

SIMOES: Hayden says it's all part of the job and he's now got a great story for the grandkids. He's also got the scars to show. Both men suffered second degree burns, a painful reminder to many of the dangers of their job.

UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: When the fire hit it wrapped around the building and over just like water flowing and they had about a 10 second heat blast.

UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: It makes you think about safety a little more, what you can do to protect yourself a little better.

UNIDENTIFIED CITIZEN: Good to see you back.

SIMOES: And both say they'd do it again. Despite the warm welcome, their minds are with the hundreds of firefighters still battling the flames in Temecula and their two other crew members still recovering in a southern California hospital. UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: It's scary but everything's fine now. The rest of the crew's doing OK. They'll be back later on this week and everybody's in better spirits now.

SIMOES: The next stop is home and healing, but both men assure us despite a very close call, it's only a matter of time until they're back on the fire lines facing the next one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That was Kristen Simoes of KCRA in Sacramento.

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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