Santa Barbara Still Threatened by Wildfires
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Scott County residents reported seeing a tornado on the ground. At least four houses were damaged and one woman is talking about her family's close call with a twister.</s>SHERRI BIRD, STORM VICTIM: I just thank god that my husband, his nephews and the people that was helping him in the garage was ok, because I knew the garage was gone.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To do that much damage in just a few seconds, it's just unbelievable.</s>T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: All right, those storms not quite done. Might be doing some more damage in other parts of the country today.</s>HOLMES: And I'll piggyback right off what you talked about, Reynolds, and show our viewers some of these pictures you were just talking about and what's happening out there in southern California, in Santa Barbara. Reynolds just mentioned the army of firefighters essentially they have out there. Seeing as many as 80 homes burned so far. Many more are in immediate danger now. Evacuation orders went out to some 30,000 people. That number could grow significantly again, as Reynolds was just reporting, depending on what happens with those winds. Those winds are really going to be key as to what happens with these fires in the coming days. But hopefully, again, he says no rain is expected out there, but the winds could kick up, so we could be seeing more and more of these pictures in the coming days.</s>NGUYEN: All right, but you know not everyone is heeding the call to evacuate. Some homes in the fire's path were just rebuilt seven months after another wildfire ripped through Santa Barbara. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez introduces us to one family who isn't running from round two.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Worried that we could still see flames, and it's burned over that area once already, and it's still burning.</s>THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For three days and nights, since the Santa Barbara fire began, Lisa and Kaye Camarillo have watched the flames on the ridge. All their neighbors have evacuated. The Camarillos told us they're staying behind.</s>KAYE CAMARILLO, HOMEOWNER: My family has lived here for many generations. This is our land, and we have to defend it.</s>GUTIERREZ: Their nerves are raw. Just seven months ago, flames roared through this canyon, destroying hundreds of homes.</s>CAMARILLO: It happened so suddenly, that the sparks flew. And were right here.</s>GUTIERERZ: Kaye Camarillo fled for her life. The home she grew up in, where she raised her children, burned to the ground. It's hard to imagine what the homeowner feels when they come back and they look at that.</s>KAYE CAMARILLO, HOME BURNED LAST YEAR: The memories, yeah, the little things, the photographs, yeah. You know, little things like the bench that my father built. That we all sat on when we were little kids. Those irreplaceable things. That's hard.</s>GUTIERREZ: Camarillo didn't have enough insurance to rebuild, so the community environment council in Santa Barbara came to her rescue. Volunteers built a new fire-resistant green home. Two weeks ago that home was relocated to her property.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'd be absolutely astounded at how many people put their time and effort into this.</s>GUTIERREZ: And just when she was ready to settle in, the fire threatens once again. Why would you rebuild here, why not move somewhere? Live somewhere else in Santa Barbara?</s>CAMARILLO: No, no, this is our home. This is our land.</s>GUTIERREZ: Land high above Santa Barbara that has belonged to the Camarillo family for more than 100 years.</s>CAMARILLO: Now we've got ashes again on our mountaintops.</s>GUTIERREZ: Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Santa Barbara, California.</s>HOLMES: The probe into a deadly U.S. air strike that killed insurgents and civilians in Afghanistan is now complete. And now the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, telling the U.S. the air strikes must stop. CNN's Stan Grant joins us now by phone from Kabul. Stan, tell us what are the results of this probe?</s>STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): T.J., the probe has shown that the civilians were indeed killed by U.S. air strikes. Now, these strikes were called in to the Farah Province in western Afghanistan at the height of the battle between the Taliban and U.S. and Afghan forces. The strikes were called in to try to target houses where they believed the insurgents were holed up. Now, it did kill a number of civilians, men, women, and children, exactly that number, though, has been cause for debate and dispute. The U.S. military's putting the number at around 50. Others saying much higher, including Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. He said the information he's received puts the number well over 100. Now, the U.S. also saying it is a tactic of the Taliban to use civilians as human shields, and they are investigating whether, in fact, it happened in this case. Hamid Karzai also saying, it is a tactic of the Taliban to use civilians in this way. At the same time, Hamid Karzai saying that these air strikes are a major problem, a major cause of dispute, between Afghanistan and the U.S., and as you reported there, they must cease. T.J.?</s>HOLMES: How long has the President Karzai really been calling for this? And any chance he's going to get his way?</s>GRANT: It would appear to be unlikely, of course, the U.S. is in a battle here to try to defeat the Taliban, along with other allied forces, and Afghan forces. The problem is, though, in trying to reduce the number of civilian casualties, as he pointed out, is a major area of tension between the U.S. and Afghanistan. It causes problems for the Afghan people. Obviously grief being among them, but it hardens anti-American attitudes here and makes it all the more difficult for the U.S. to achieve its ambition. Also, Hamid Karzai has an election coming up in August. He's not a popular figure in the country. Many accuse him of corruption, incompetence, people are frustrated at the lack of improvement in their lives and he obviously wants to be re-elected in August. This is another issue he can campaign on. T.J.?</s>HOLMES: Stan Grant for us in Kabul, thank you so much Stan.</s>NGUYEN: Pakistani officials say a suspected drone attack has killed five people. It happened in a tribal district near the border with Afghanistan and that area has seen a sharp spike in the number of unmanned U.S. drone attacks on what are believed to be Taliban targets. Pakistan's prime minister is responding to the attack. Take a listen.</s>YOUSUF RAZA GILANI, PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: This is not a normal one. This is a guerrilla one. But it is a resolve and it is a resolve of the army that there should be minimum collateral damage. And it should be over as soon as possible.</s>NGUYEN: Expect an in-depth look at the Taliban threat in Pakistan today, at 4:00 p.m. eastern. Fredricka Whitfield shows you how the situation in the region could affect life here in America. Nuclear weapons are not the only reason you should care.</s>HOLMES: Well, you'll remember on the campaign trail, President Obama, then candidate Obama, was promising that he would make a speech to the Muslim world in the first 100 days of his presidency. He's not exactly going to make that 100-day mark, but still, he has chosen a place. Ed Henry explains why Egypt is now the place for his long- promised speech.</s>ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs already deflecting questions about whether Egypt is the right choice for this speech, given the fact that President Hosni Mubarak has resisted democratic reforms. But Gibbs said Egypt was chosen because the president believes it represents the heart of the Arab world, and this president began his outreach from week one here at the White House. In fact, his first television interview in office was with al Arabiya and then it continued on a trip to Turkey where the president took off his shoes before entering the famed blue mosque to show his respect. Then he delivered a speech of course to the Turkish parliament where he delivered a very clear message.</s>OBAMA: So, let me say this as clearly as I can, the United States is not and will never be at war with Islam. In fact -- in fact -- in fact our partnership with the Muslim world is critical, not just in rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject, but also to strengthen opportunity for all peoples.</s>HENRY: White House aides say the president plans to build on that message on June 4th in Egypt. Right before he heads to Normandy, France, to mark the d-day anniversary. It's going to be a very busy summer of foreign travel for the American president. Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.</s>NGUYEN: Well, Pope Benedict XVI is doing some fence-mending today in Jordan. He toured Amman's biggest mosque with the king's top religious adviser and apologized for offending Muslims three years ago. Back in 2006, the Pope gave a speech and quoted a medieval emperor who called the Prophet Muhammad's teachings evil and inhumane. His weeklong papal tour in the Middle East is aimed at improving strained relations with Muslims and Jews. The Pope goes to Israel on Monday.</s>HOLMES: California voters gearing up for a special election. How the results could mean more painful cuts for the cash-strapped state.