California fires

(Newser) - “There will be help for the people of California,” said President Bush today, promising federal aid while on a tour of areas devastated by days of wildfires. Bush, accompanied by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other politicians, had already declared seven counties in Southern California to be disaster areas,...

(Newser) - Firefighters found two bodies in a burned-out San Diego County home even as dying winds today allowed airplanes to take up the fight against California wildfires, and some evacuees began trickling back. A fire captain called the drone of the aircraft "the sound of joy," reports CNN. "...

(Newser) - As California burns, 9,000 residents have evacuated to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. But for those who remember the horror of the New Orleans Superdome after Hurricane  Katrina, this refuge is stunningly well-appointed, and very California. Benefits include Starbucks coffee, free massages and acupuncture, and a constant stream of...

(Newser) - Diminishing winds today allowed firefighters to make broad progress against the California wildfires that have chased a million people from their homes, while police shot to death one arson suspect and detained another. Major fires still burned, mainly in Orange and San Diego counties, but firefighters' optimism was growing, the...