California ablaze, flames stoked by wind

On a business matter, I called someone near San Diego yesterday. He interrupted me and said, "We're in the middle of an evacuation here." He wasn't exaggerating. Here's just a sampling of news about the dreadful fires that threaten Southern California:

300000 flee Southern California fires
New York Daily News, NY - 1 hour ago
Hundreds of thousands of Californians sought shelter today at friends and relatives' homes, community centers, schools, fairgrounds and stadiums as ...

California Fires Burn 267000 Acres as Winds Persist (Update3) Bloomberg - 48 minutes ago By Peter J. Brennan Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sought help from other states as wind-fueled fires burned more than 283000 acres ...

Wildfires Continue to Ravage Southern California Voice of America - 2 hours ago By VOA News Fast-moving wildfires have destroyed more than 700 homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of others in the western US state of ...