California Firefighters Battle Blazes
California firefighters were racing to make inroads against wildfires raging across the state on Monday, July 7, 2008, before the arrival of a forecast record heat wave later this week, officials said. More than 19,000 firefighters are battling some 330 active fires across California. Nearly 1,800 blazes have erupted since June 20, scorching around 597,000 acres according to latest figures. A heat wave is expected to arrive in the region on Wednesday, bringing temperatures of around 90-98 Fahrenheit.