US:As improving weather conditions raised hopes that the worst of the Californian wildfires may be over, President George Bush flew in to view the devastation from the air and meet firefighters and householders affected by the blazes. Denis Staunton, Washington Correspondent, reports.
"It's a sad situation out there in southern California," Mr Bush said as he left the White House. "I fully understand that the people have got a lot of anguish in their hearts. They just need to know a lot of folks care about them."
Fire crews found two charred corpses in a destroyed house north of San Diego, authorities said yesterday, and thousands of homes remained at risk despite calming winds that made aerial bombardment of the fires more effective. The fierce, scorching winds that have whipped up the firestorms since Sunday were dying down yesterday and were expected to be gone altogether by tomorrow.
Thousands of people have already returned to their homes and San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, which sheltered more than 10,000 people at the height of the evacuations, had just 2,500 people left yesterday morning.
Despite progress in containing the fires, authorities said that more than 8,500 homes remained at risk in San Diego alone, and in the San Bernardino County mountain resort of Lake Arrowhead officials said 16,000 homes were in the path of two wildfires that had destroyed more than 300 homes.
Californian officials said that 321,000 people had been evacuated since the fires began, a lower figure than many estimates had suggested. "Even if that number, which is on the low end of what you've heard, is accurate, it still makes it the largest single evacuation effort in the history of the state," said White House homeland security adviser Fran Townsend. Ms Townsend said the disaster response is unfolding "exactly the way it should be" and is "better and faster" that the administration's performance after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
As Mr Bush took a helicopter tour of devastated areas with California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ms Townsend said the primary purpose of the president's visit was to comfort those afflicted by the disaster.
"People are going through a very difficult time. This is chaotic. It's anxiety-producing. And just having him there - where he walks the neighbourhoods that have been devastated and listens to the people who have been affected - is very important," she said.
"We know how tough it is for you," Mr Bush said as he draped his arms around Kendra Jeffcoat, whose house burned to the ground. "The American people care for people like you who are suffering."
Mr Bush declared the fires a major disaster on Wednesday, triggering long-term federal recovery programmes to help state and local governments, families, individuals and certain non-profit organisations recover. The assistance ranges from direct compensation for uninsured losses to help with rebuilding infrastructure.
"I will assure the people of California that the federal government will be deploying resources, assets, and manpower necessary to help fight these fires. As well, I will assure them that there's a . . . because of the declaration I signed yesterday, there will be help for the people of California," Mr Bush said yesterday.
Fifteen separate fires have burned approximately 427,000 acres, 70 per cent of which is in San Diego County and destroyed more than 2,200 buildings.
At least three people have died and 38 have been injured but medical authorities fear that the number of fatalities could rise.
Police are investigating signs that at least one of the fires may have been caused by arson. Police shot and killed a man who fled on Tuesday night when officers approached to see if he might be trying to set a fire in San Bernardino.
Throughout the region, authorities stepped up patrols in hopes of preventing copycat fires and looting. In San Diego County, sheriff's officials have reported scattered instances of looting in fire zones.
A total of 2,600 prisoners have been helping the firefighting effort as part of a California rehabilitation programme. The inmates are paid only $24 a day but they could earn early release because of their efforts.
Murderers, rapists, child molesters and convicted gang members are not allowed to take part in the firefighting programme, which is mostly manned by inmates serving time for lesser offences like drunk driving and drug abuse. Arsonists are also forbidden from taking part.