Wildfires Racing to San Diego

(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»

Hundreds evacuated as 1,000-acre fire rages out of control

(NEWSER) - Massive brushfires raged through Malibu today, causing hundreds to flee and destroying at least 6 buildings. Officials say that the 1,000-acre fire is out of control despite 500 firefighters on the scene and almost 1,000 en route. Twenty-to-thirty mile-per-hour winds will sustain the fire for days and threaten thousands of homes, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Federal aid will soon be pouring into Southern California: President Bush today declared a state of emergency for the fire-scorched region. Wildfires ripping across seven counties have forced half a million people to evacuate. “We extend our prayers and our thoughts” to them, Bush said. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and FEMA officials will head to California today, the LA Times 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»

Pair drives off road as flames consume national forest

(NEWSER) - Two California firefighters drove off a treacherous road to their death as they helped battle a 43,000-acre inferno in the Angeles National Forest, reports the Los Angeles Times. More than 2,800 firefighters, 12 helicopters and eight air tankers have converged on the area where the blaze now threatens some 13,000 homes in Los Angeles County. The blaze is only 5% contained, and has already destroyed 18 homes. More»