More than 20,000 flee flames in O.C. Fire destroys or damages more than 600 homes; thousands are threatened

Wind-fueled fires continued to rage out of control tonight in Orange County as emergency personnel struggled to get ahead of erratic leap-frogging flare-ups that were consuming houses and apartments and prompting evacuation orders for more than 20,000 residents.

By Christopher Goffard, Louis Sahagun and Rich Connell

November 15, 2008