Air Pollution High in Fire's Wake

Returning SoCal residents face weeks of hardships

(NEWSER) - Thousands of Southern California residents have returned to their homes—those fortunate enough to find them standing—to find no electricity and no drinking water, with town reservoirs drained to fight fires, and air choked with smoke and ash. The threat of changing weather also looms: the hot winds that fueled the fires are predicted to return tomorrow, ending the lull that allowed firefighters to battle back the blazes. More»

Residents pick up the pieces after blaze

(NEWSER) - Firefighting helicopters sat idle as wildfires broke out across California, an AP investigation concludes, thanks to a web of bureaucracy. By the time Navy, Marine, and National Guard aircraft got clearance, up to a day after blazes started, it was already too dangerous to fly. Others were missing crucial equipment that had been promised for 4 years. More»

Bush steps up to avoid Katrina repeat

(NEWSER) - Firefighters look for the wind to change late this afternoon, as more than 15 rampaging wildfires continue to turn swaths of Southern California into writhing walls of flames. In a bid to avoid a repeat of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, President Bush yesterday declared a federal emergency for seven counties and scheduled a visit for tomorrow, CNN reports. More»

Powerful Santa Ana gusts drive wildfires; more than 800 buildings destroyed

(NEWSER) - High winds and hotter temperatures are forecast for Southern California today, frustrating firefighters struggling to contain the runaway blazes that have forced more than half a million people from their homes and consumed almost 900 buildings in the last two days. At least a dozen fires are still torching tinder-dry hillsides from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border, reports the Los Angeles Times. The worst damage is around San Diego and Lake Arrowhead. More»

(NEWSER) - As wildfires rage across the region, Southern California officials are begging residents to evacuate when ordered and to avoid making phone calls, CNN reports. “We've been unable to do any suppression effort because the fire resources are being used to do rescues,” one fire chief railed. Rescuers complain about clogged cellphone lines and frivolous calls to 911. More»