Gov. Davis Relieves Local Governments
Calif. FFs Remember Fallen Brother
Survivors of 1991 Fire Remeber
Wildfire: Choices Mean Life or Death
Desert Foothill Folks Join Fire Refugees
Crews Dig in to Protect Homes
Firestorm Catches News Crew
Congress Seeks Funds for Firefighting
Porterville FF Describes Firestorms
Health Alert For San Diego Co.
Firefighting System Pushed To Limit
Julian, Survives Night
N.C. Air Nat'l Guard To Help Fight Fires
California Fires Nix Forest Filming
Tens of Thousands Evacuate In Calif.
L.A. Horses Moved Out of Harm's Way
CA Fires Kill 18, Destroy 2,000 Homes
Fla. Helicopter To Help Fight Fires
Calif. Governor-Elect Seeks Aid
Calif. Fire Crew Fights for Home
Rescuers Save Livestock From Wildfires
Fire Found San Bernardino Prepared
Supercomputers Can't Predict Wildfires
Wildfires Threaten Mountain Towns
Exhausted Crews Fight Deadly CA Fires
Deadly S.D. Blazes Threaten to Merge
President Orders Aid For CA Fires
Arson-Caused Fires Anger Residents
Wildfires Cause Fear, Frustration
Fires Raze San Diego, Calif. Community
Calif. Fires Rage Out Of Control
Wildfire Toll Tops 1,500 Calif. Homes
Orange Co. Sends Fire Help, Keeps Vigil
No Way Out When Home Is in 'Firebelt'
CA FFs Forced to Make Indirect Attacks
A Fiery Shutdown: Activities Curtailed
Deadly Fires Highlight Perilous Choices
CA Owner Loses House A Second Time
So. Calif. Fires Draw Local Concern
Devastation Looms Over San Diego Co.
Bush Declares Calif. Disaster Areas
Neighbor Warned Wildfire Victims
Calif. Fires Threaten 30,000 Homes
Colo. Crews To Help Battle CA Blazes
Man Questioned In Del Paso, Arsons
Group Calls For More Fire Staffing
Calif. Fires Slow As Winds Die Down
80,000 Acres Torched in Ventura Co.
Fire Danger High In Northern CA
Calif. Fire Officials Investigating Arson
CA Residents Make Frantic Escape
Calif. Firestorm Rages On
No Help Soon For Shorthanded CA FFs
Fires Kill 13, 900+ Homes Gutted
4 Killed in CA, Bars Prevent Escape
Wildfires Destroy Four Houses
FFs Close To Containing Fort Ord Burn
Calif. Forestry and Fire Protection
Forest Service Fire Maps
UpdateLA.org
FEMA
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) -- There have been more than 500 tips, dozens of cars stopped, a handful of men questioned, at least one confession and endless rumors, but authorities say they still haven't arrested anyone who sparked one of the Southern California wildfires.
There could be lots of suspects. Arson is blamed for at least three of the seven wildfires still burning in the region.
On Thursday, the San Bernardino County sheriff's office fleshed out a description of a suspect _ a thin, blond man in his 20s who witnesses say stepped out of a gray van last Saturday, dropped something into the brush causing a fire, then climbed back into the van before it sped away. The wildfire has grown to about 50,000 acres, killing four people and destroying 850 homes.
A police sketch of the van's driver, a dark-haired man in his 20s, has appeared on newspaper front pages and television news broadcasts all week.
``We've got a lot of good leads. We're working hard on this,'' said sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers.
Dozens of federal, state and local arson detectives have been working around the clock, talking to witnesses at evacuation centers, studying burn patterns where the fires began, and calling for public help.
Forest Service agent Jerry Moore said a man had confessed to starting a Ventura County fire that burned three homes and 68,000 acres, but the case remained under investigation.
``Anybody can come in and say 'I did it,''' Moore said.
San Diego County authorities, meanwhile, said they are positive a wildfire that has so far killed 14 people, including a firefighter, and burned nearly 1,500 homes was sparked by a lost deer hunter who set a signal blaze.
He was given a misdemeanor citation. Arsonists could face federal or state charges, including aggravated arson, which in California carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. They could even face murder charges.
Investigators had no motive for the arsons. In the past, people have set ``vanity fires'' so they can point them out and appear to be heroes, said Daniel Frias, a fire investigator with the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Others have tried to torch houses out of revenge.
Various agencies are receiving as many as 100 tips a day from as far north as San Francisco, but finding wildfire arsonists can be difficult, Frias said, because they can set time-delay devices or wait until the coast is clear.
``Usually when we get a good lead, it's because a witness just happened to be driving by,'' he said.