Calif. Firefighters Get Their Chance

In nearby Escondido, Susan Healey returned after two days with friends to a house unscathed except for heavy soot in the swimming pool.

"I don't think after something like this you're ever not different," the middle-school teacher said. "I had two days to think about: What are the most important things in my house? And they all fit in my car. I realize now how much junk I have."

Even as the huge fires raged, and 200 residents of southern San Diego County were ordered out of their homes, officials prepared for the next phase of the disaster. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) announced that "one-stop shops" will open Thursday and Friday to help residents replace burned documents, file insurance claims and handle other paperwork.

"As we transition from a state of emergency to a process of recovery, this center will be a hub for people to rebuild their lives," said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, announcing an assistance center in Rancho Bernardo, where entire streets had vanished.

"We are doing everything we can to get everybody back into their homes as quickly and as safely as possible," said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender.

It was unclear how many people left their homes to begin with. California's Office of Emergency Services said 351,000 people were officially instructed to evacuate, including 250,000 around San Diego. A spokeswoman said the agency could not account for reports that put the number of evacuees nearly three times that many.

"We just can't confirm that number, and that number was apparently just created by news media maybe counting all the other people getting out of the area," Carrie Reinsimar said. "But they weren't the mandatory evacuees."

Nor was it clear where everyone went. The state counted only 22,200 people in the 51 schools, civic centers and other locations considered official evacuation centers.

That left 320,000 sheltering in hotels, with friends or camping out. Mike Martinez brought his family Tuesday night to a KOA campground in Chula Vista, after fleeing as the flames approach their home in nearby Jamul.

"Get what's important to you," Martinez remembers urging his 15-year-old son, Alex. "The first thing he packed was five guitars," the contractor said. "What do you need five guitars for?"

But to Alex the guitars are the legacy of a grandfather who played them and passed his love of music to the boy.

"They're important to me," Alex said with a shrug.

Ash floating from a gray sky covered the RVs and cars in a parking lot, an example of the soot-choked air enveloping Southern California. Air quality from Los Angeles to the border was rated "unhealthful for everyone." Residents were urged to avoid outdoor exercise and to run their air conditioners -- a problem in San Diego, where the power system was straining. Privately owned San Diego Gas & Electric urged its 3.4 million customers to avoid running dishwashers, washing machines and other appliances not deemed essential. Hospitals and other "medically sensitive customers" were warned that they could lose service abruptly if the Camp Pendleton fire worsened.

"This particular effort is unprecedented," Lt. Gov. John Garamendi said at a news conference. "Never before has California been faced with such a difficult, complex and devastating fire as we face today."

Vick reported from Los Angeles, Geis from Escondido and Rancho Santa Fe. Staff writer Tamara Jones in Chula Vista contributed to this report.