California Fire Death Toll Hits 12

Six more found dead; 60 injured
By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 26, 2007 2:54 AM CDT
California Fire Death Toll Hits 12
President George W. Bush along with California Gov. Arnold Swartzenegger, meets Kimber Fowler, who lost her home in Rancho Bernardo section of San Diego,Calif., where Red Cross staff had set up following days of wildfire,Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. (AP Photo/Jay L. Clendenin,POOL)   (Associated Press)

Four charred bodies found in the mountains near the Mexican border and two others discovered in a house in San Diego County boosted the death toll of the California wildfires to 12, with 60 others injured. Authorities confirmed yesterday that the 25,000-acre Santiago Fire in Orange County was arson, set by someone with particular knowledge of how wildfires spread.

A reward for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist has been tripled to $150,000. As the Santa Anna winds died down, firefighters began to gain control of the blazes, but cautioned that offshore winds still posed a threat. President Bush and Gov. Schwarzenegger yesterday toured the fire-ravaged areas, where 2,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed since Sunday. (More California fires stories.)

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