Winds ease in California

The fierce Santa Ana winds that have been blowing at hurricane force for the last several days, eased slightly today allowing firefighters to gain a little ground. Wild fires have been burning hundreds of thousands of acres across both San Diego and LA Counties of southern California. Both areas have been declared Federal Disaster areas. Over 9000 firefighters have been fighting a loosing battle, with hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed. Two people have died and over 75 injured. Temperatures in the 90's, no rain for months and the Santa Ana winds created the "perfect storm" for the fires.

Smoke from the fires can be seen below drifting off the California coast