2nd Wildfire Death Confirmed

Schwarzenegger calls state of emergency

(NEWSER) - Here's a sign of just how many explosives and chemicals authorities found in the home bomb factory in San Diego County: They figure the best way to deal with the house is to destroy it. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency to give authorities the leeway to seize it and do just that with a controlled burn, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»

Breathing carefully, residents return to face gas, water shortages, power outages

(NEWSER) - Evacuees trickling home in fire-ravaged Southern California find themselves largely without power, natural gas or potable water. Perhaps worse, the barely breathable air is laden with soot and dust, raising health concerns, the AP reports. Satellite pictures show thick smoke throughout the region. “We're all at risk of the fine particulate matter we can inhale,” said a Breathe LA spokeswoman, urging people to stay indoors. 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»

(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»

Shaima Alawadi's family was in turmoil, Calif. records show

(NEWSER) - The brutal beating death of an Iraqi woman in California last month may not have been a hate crime at all, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune in a detailed look at search warrant records. Shaima Alawadi, 32, was planning to divorce husband Kassim Alhimidi and move to Texas, where her mother and siblings had moved recently. The records also show that 17-year-old daughter Fatima, who found her mother and called 911, was unhappy over an arranged marriage to a cousin. While being interviewed by police hours after the attack, someone sent Fatima a text message reading, "The detective will find out tell them (can’t) talk." More»