Cooling trend dampens California wildfires

Hot spots burn at a destroyed home in Cedar Glen near the resort of Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles Thursday. The death toll from wildfires roaring through California rose to 22, as they chewed up 291,501 acres (728,754 acres) and destroyed more than 3,000 buildings, officials said. PHOTO: AFP

The wildfires, raging from north of Los Angeles to the Mexican border, have killed 20 people, including a firefighter, and destroyed more than 2,500 homes.

The 10 major fires have charred about 730,000 acres, or 1,125 square miles -- an area slightly smaller than Rhode Island.

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"This will be the most expensive natural disaster this state has ever incurred," outgoing Gov. Gray Davis told reporters. "The fires could not only end up being the largest but the longest in duration."

For days, firefighters were unable to stay ahead of the worst of the wind-driven blazes that rampaged through drought-stricken timberland in mountain ranges in San Bernardino and San Diego counties.