Mass Evacuations Ordered as Wildfires Spread in Calif.

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Wildfires Char Southern California
Multiple wildfires driven by powerful Santa Ana winds has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes from San Diego to just north of Los Angeles.

The scene inside the stadium was not much like the wretched scene in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Many evacuees arrived in RVs and family cars at the parking lot. In spots it resembled a tailgating party. When local radio put out calls for dog food, sunscreen and sandwich meat (bread was not a problem), residents responded by turning the stadium floor into a smorgasbord. Volunteers laden with grocery bags heaped tables with grilled chicken, chips and dog food poured into paper bags for individual portions. Evacuees gathered in the shaded sections of the lower deck, watching news coverage and munching sandwiches.

Mayor Sanders called Tuesday for additional donations of food, water, cots and pillows.

But even Monday , at least one massage station had already been set up, manned by David Thomas, 36, who cancelled his appointments and summoned an acupuncturist for volunteer duty.

"We're kind of like the holistic first responders," Thomas said.

It remains, after all, California. In Malibu, where Schwarzenegger toured the remains of a Presbyterian church leveled on Sunday, Mayor Pro-Tempore Pam Conley Ulich urged perspective. "It's a horrible day, but it's also a beautiful day because you get to spend time with your family," she told a news conference. "Live in the moment."

Geis reported from Del Mar and San Diego, Vick from Los Angeles. Wilgoren and staff writer Spencer S. Hsu reported from Washington.