Firefighters work to protect two homes on a remote hillside in Bear Valley, south of Valley Center, Calif., Oct. 27, 2003. A state of emergency was declared in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties as the fires laid to waste entire blocks of homes, closed major highways and roads, shuttered some schools, disrupted air travel nationwide, and literally sent people running for their lives. (Photo: AP)
