10.24.2007 12:00 AM

California Wildfires: 500,000 Evacuated and Death Toll Rises

Fire Weather Forecast Still Called "Critical" as Santa Ana "Devil Winds" Slow, But Don't Stop

Comments

wildfire California,California wildfire, evacuation,

Photo: Mike Medadows / AP Photo

By Dan Shapley

The number of people evacuated from San Diego and other parts of Southern California rose to 500,000 and the death toll rose to two, as the California wildfires continued to rage Tuesday night, according to various press accounts. More than 1,000 homes have been burned, and thousands more are threatened by the dozen or so fires still burning.

The forecast calls for the dry, hot Santa Ana "Devil Winds" to slow this afternoon, giving firefighters some relief -- but the forecast for fire weather remains "critical" according to the National Storm Prediction Center, and the National Weather Service still designates a "red flag warning" along the entire coast, from Hollister in the North to the Mexican border.

COMMENTS ()