Fire brings destruction, uncertainty

Five years of drought in California has turned the state's wildlands into a tinder box

A ferocious wildfire had swallowed up many homes as it spread across more than 100 square kilometers of mountain and desert east of Los Angeles. Exactly how many, however, and to whom they belonged, remained uncertain.

Firefighters were faced with the difficult task of tallying that damage while still battling the huge, unruly blaze.