The story

Favorable weather and firefighter reinforcements helped ease the fire danger in parts of Southern California Thursday, but the human toll from the disaster was still coming to light.

The number of deaths attributed directly to the fires grew to seven Thursday, after the charred bodies of four people believed to be illegal immigrants were found in a canyon east of San Diego.

Seven other deaths are labeled as fire-related: Three elderly people died during evacuations, and four others died after being evacuated.

Improving conditions allowed more people to come home Thursday, but new evacuations were ordered in areas where the unrelenting flames marched on.

Where residents could return, they often found ash and rubble in place of their homes. Read full article »

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