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Calmer, Cooler Weather Aids Calif. Firefighters

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By ELLIOT SPAGAT, The Associated Press

Published: October 26, 2007

SAN DIEGO - Four charred bodies were found in an apparent migrant camp burned by the wildfires raging across Southern California, authorities said Thursday.

If the fire was responsible for the deaths - which authorities said was not immediately certain - it would mean seven people have died in the flames that have consumed about 750 square miles and at least 1,800 homes.
Border Patrol agents found the bodies Thursday in a wooded area near Barrett Junction, just east of San Diego and along the Mexican border, agency spokeswoman Gloria Chavez said. The area was burned by the Harris Fire, which straddles the Mexican border - the same fire that claimed the life of a 52-year-old Tecate man who refused to leave his house when the area was evacuated Sunday.

The other two people killed directly by the wildfires also died in San Diego County, the hardest-hit of seven counties where fires were burning.

Despite the deaths, there were hopeful signs Thursday. Firefighters took advantage of calmer winds and cooler temperatures to launch an aerial assault on several blazes.

Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted for most residential areas of San Diego. Shelters emptied at a rapid rate.

President Bush surveyed the damage in the hard-hit community of Rancho Bernardo, where he draped his armed around a woman who had lost her home.

'We want the people to know there's a better day ahead - that today your life may look dismal, but tomorrow life's going to be better,' said Bush, who earlier declared seven counties a major disaster area, making residents eligible for federal assistance to help them rebuild.

His visit came hours after rescue crews found the bodies of a married couple in the rubble of a burned home in Escondido. Like the previous death, the pair had been urged to evacuate.

They were identified as John Christopher Bain, 58, a mortgage broker, and his wife, Victoria Fox, 55, a teacher. Officials have reported 14 deaths connected to the fires; seven died of causes other than flames. At least 40 firefighters and 35 other people have been injured.

The total burn area across California had expanded to more than 482,000 acres - about 753 square miles. The Santa Ana winds that had fueled the flames were all but gone by Thursday, but San Diego County remained a tinderbox. Towns scattered throughout the county remained on the edge of disaster, including the apple-picking region around Julian, where dozens of homes burned in 2003. Authorities also evacuated Jamul, an upscale community of about 6,000 in a hilly region about 20 miles east of San Diego.

David and Brandy Hradecky, who defied evacuation orders with their daughters, said a small percentage of residents stayed in Jamul and worked with firefighters to save their neighbors' homes.

David Hradecky said he spent 2 1/2 days using his bulldozer to create firebreaks around seven homes. He said his young daughters used 5-gallon buckets to put out hot spots and quench the thirst of farm animals. 'Where are you going to go? They were evacuating the evacuee places. We know what to do. We took care of all the people's houses,' said Brandy Hradecky.

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