Transcript: Interview with Undersheriff Paula Presley

June 29, 2012— -- Transcript of ABC News' Alex Perez's interview with Undersheriff Paula Presley of El Paso County in Colorado.

Paula Presley: But it's kind of isolated back there as well so essentially there's a lot of things that could happen. We don't have a lot of trouble up here. We have more trouble in the parking lot than we have actually on the trail, people petty crime, breaking in to cars and that type of stuff more property crime.

Alex Perez: So were walking up here so what's important about this area where we're going to now?

Paula Presley: This is a very popular trail and every weekend people, people flood this trail hiking and this is where its believe to be where the fire started much further up just off of the trail the firefighters have yet to get in there. Really, to establish the actual point of origin or where the fire began. And so I know there are a lot of questions about the investigative part of this as to whether or not this is arson or not. It's really important that they get to the point of origin before we can ever get to that determination.

Alex Perez: Describe for people who might not get it, the point of origin is key right?

Paula Presley: Absolutely. That will be key and will potentially give us evidence as to whether this truly was intentional, whether it was an arson or whether it could be natural or whether it was accidental.

Alex Perez: And describe just how difficult an investigation like that will be tough because there are thousands of people who come through here right?

Paula Presley: That's correct however since the time that this fire began, this has been closed off. Certainly there were people here on that day, however people were leaving this area very quickly once the fire began. And so it's been closed off since that time so there hasn't been any traveling, anybody up in here to really disturb what evidence may be there.

Alex Perez: There's a lot of forensics that's involved with this stuff. People don't think about.

Paula Presley: That's correct. It's not just real simple that somebody can walk up on a site and say okay this is how it all began. I mean there are cases like that where the fire investigators, arson investigators can tell very quickly you know whether there was accelerant used those types of things. But first of all, we have to get to that site and of course the priority right now is fighting the fire. Once the fires under control we have the firefighters are able to get back in here and arson investigators are able to get back in here and take a look at what is believed to be the point of origin. And then we'll be able to tell a lot more.

Alex Perez: In a situation like this, what makes you guys think that this was possibly arson or could be arson?