4 more bodies found after So. California fires

SAN DIEGO - As firefighters gained the upper hand in their five-day battle against the Southern California blazes on Thursday, Border Patrol agents discovered four charred bodies in the rugged mountains near the Mexican border.

If fire was responsible for the four deaths — which authorities said was not immediately certain — the discovery would raise the death toll to seven, more than doubling earlier estimates. At least 75 people have also been injured in the flames that have consumed about 760 square miles and at least 1,800 homes since the weekend.

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

Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted for most residential areas of San Diego. Shelters emptied at a rapid rate and residents in some neighborhoods returned to their streets, many lined with the wreckage of melted cars.

President Bush also traveled to the region on Thursday, promising swift action and assistance.

"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.

Deadly Harris fire
Agents found the burned remains of three males and a female in the mountains east of San Diego, about 10 miles west of the Mexican border town of Tecate.

The area is near a major corridor for illegal immigrants who often walk hours or even days to cross into the United States from Mexico.

“They could have been out there a while,” said Paul Parker, a spokesman for the San Diego County medical examiner’s office.

The area was burned by the Harris Fire, which straddles the Mexican border. The Harris fire earlier 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.

Bush travels to region
During his visit, Bush surveyed the damage in the hard-hit community of Rancho Bernardo, where he at one point offered comfort to residents Jay and Kendra Jeffcoat, standing near where a single spiral staircase rested amid rubble that used to be their home and near their burned-out car melted into the scorched earth.

“For those of us here in government, our hearts are right here with the Jeffcoats,” the president said, his armed draped around Kendra Jeffcoat. Holding her small brown dog on a leash, she fought back tears.

The president also praised swift action by the California government. "It makes a difference when you have someone in the statehouse taking the lead," Bush said of Schwarzenegger.

Bush earlier dismissed comparisons between this federal response and that during and after Hurricane Katrina, when Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the Bush administration initially clashed.

“There’s all kinds of time for historians to compare this response to that response,” Bush said.

Evacuation orders ignored
His visit came just 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.

More on California wildfires Victims begin to rebuild Tax deadline pushed back for victims Californians recount 7 days of fury Economic impact will linger Will insurers abandon California? Inside the mind of an arsonist Football replaces evacuees at stadium FEMA workers masquerade as reporters Interactive map: Zoom in on wildfires Audio: Residents share stories | More View high-definition photos of disaster Field Notes: Dispatches from the front Rules kept firefighting aircraft on ground Firefighters laid off just before fires Aid resources, more information

Neighbors told authorities they last saw the two around midnight Monday. They were reported missing sometime after that.

Sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday had taken a cursory look around the couple’s home and found no one inside. When the two did not turn up during the day, a search-and-rescue team was sent to the site and found one body Wednesday night and a second set of remains early Thursday.

They were identified as John Christopher Bain, 58, a mortgage broker, and his wife, Victoria Fox, 55, a teacher. A relative who did not want to be identified because she was too distraught to talk to other reporters confirmed the deaths to The Associated Press, and their names matched property records for the address where they were found.

At least 40 firefighters and 35 other people have been injured.

Total burn area nears 500,000 acres
In the Los Angeles area, fire crews worked to tamp out many wildfires, including two that burned 21 homes and were now fully contained. But the focus shifted to flames still raging in Orange and San Diego counties, particularly in rural areas near the Mexico border where more evacuation orders were issued.

The total burn area across California had expanded to more than 487,000 acres — about 761 square miles. Eight Indian reservations have been damaged, with evacuation centers set up for tribal members.

San Diego officials said the number of homes destroyed had risen to at least 1,470, about 400 more than previously reported. That would bring the number of homes destroyed in the seven affected counties to at least 1,800.

MORE FROM CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

California Wildfires Section Front

Charges mulled for fire-starting boy Calif. fires added to warming emissions Newsweek: Inside the minds of fire starters Newsweek: Calif. insurance firms twice burned HD views from California wildfires California wildfires: Your stories Newsweek: Katrina comparison avoided California Wildfires Section Front   Add California Wildfires headlines to your news reader: