LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. -
said Chris Cade, a fire prevention technician with the U.S. Forest Service, as he watched a pillar of smoke he estimated at 9,000 feet rise into a hazy sky thick with ash. I am at a loss what you can do about it.
The toll for all the Southern California fires that have been burning since last week yesterday stood at 18 people dead, more than 620,000 acres burned and 1,800 homes destroyed. The death toll went up after one firefighter was killed in San Diego County, becoming the first firefighter to die in the blazes.
More than 12,000 firefighters and support crew members were fighting what Gov. Gray Davis said may be the worst and costliest disaster California ever has faced. He estimated the cost at $2 billion so far.
The fires, which began last week, burned in a broken arc across Southern California, from Ventura County east to Los Angeles County and the San Bernardino Mountains and south to eastern San Diego County.
On Southern California's other major front, about 100 fire engines encircled the historic mining town of Julian in the mountains of eastern San Diego County, hoping to save the popular weekend getaway community renowned for its vineyards and apple orchards.
However, some two-dozen engines and water tenders that were headed to Julian were forced to turn back when flames swept over a highway. And as the winds picked up, floating embers sparked spot fires near the town of 3,500, forcing some crews to retreat.
South of Julian, about 90 percent of the homes had been destroyed in Cuyamaca, a lakeside town of about 160 residents. Charred cows lay by the side of the road and houses were reduced to little more than stone entryways.
Everything's kind of happening all at once. These fires are trying really hard to tie in with each other said Bill Bourbeau, a forest safety officer. It's tremendous.
San Diego County fire officials feared a 233,000-acre fire and the 50,000-acre blaze would merge into a single huge blaze that would make it nearly impossible to keep it from reaching Julian.
Officials in San Diego County -
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Three-year-old Mariah Glasser hugs her father Dan Glasser amid the remains of their home, which was destroyed by a wildfire in Crest, Calif., yesterday.
