LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. - Firefighters battled stubborn wildfires across Southern California on Saturday, but cloudy skies scattering occasional raindrops brought a welcome improvement in conditions.
Tropical moisture flowing from the south replaced the hot, dry Santa Ana winds that roared in a week earlier and spread fires over more than a half-million acres, destroying more than 2,300 structures, including 1,700 homes.
The number of deaths directly attributed to the fires officially rose to seven. Officials confirmed that the flames killed four suspected illegal aliens whose charred bodies were found near the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, said Jose Alvarez, a public information officer for San Diego County emergency services. Identification of the victims was continuing.
For more information see today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
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