2 Bodies Found as Planes Begin to Fight Fires

Dying winds aid fight from air as evacuees start to head back
By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 25, 2007 11:27 AM CDT
2 Bodies Found as Planes Begin to Fight Fires
Destroyed mobile homes line the street adjacent to the Interstate 15 Freeway in Fallbrook, Calif., in San Diego County Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007, after the Rice Fire raced through the area destroying more than 200 homes. The Rice Fire has burned more than 7,500 acres. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)   (Associated Press)

Firefighters found two bodies in a burned-out San Diego County home even as dying winds today allowed airplanes to take up the fight against California wildfires, and some evacuees began trickling back. A fire captain called the drone of the aircraft "the sound of joy," reports CNN. "Their drops are hitting their mark because the wind is not there," he says.

Meanwhile, evacuees from 13 communities were allowed to return home, although about 76,000 people stayed in shelters last night. And the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the local utility managed to restore a transmission line that would have caused blackouts for 100,000 people. Officials put the area of fire damage at 723 square miles so far. (More California fires stories.)

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