The Toll: 330 O.C. Homes Lost, Damage in Billions; At Least 25,000 Homeless in Southland; 19 Firefighters Hurt but No One Killed : O.C. Remains on Alert With Hot Spots Flaring : Fire: Another 1,000 firefighters help to finally contain Laguna Canyon blaze. But devil winds threaten again.

Tearful families who lived on the once genteel hills of Laguna Beach returned to scorched neighborhoods Thursday as more than 1,000 additional firefighters poured into Orange County to battle the most stubborn fronts remaining in a devastating outbreak of wildfires.

As the hot Santa Ana winds subsided Thursday, firefighters from around the nation gained an upper hand on the fire that blasted through the resort town a day earlier. By nightfall, strike teams continued to attack hot spots as relieved fire crews reported the Laguna Canyon blaze was 100% contained.

“This will be one of the legends of our city, and how we responded to it,”said Councilman Robert F. Gentry, three-time mayor of Laguna Beach, whose Mystic Hills home was destroyed. “We probably have lost some institutions in our community, whether they be buildings or the landscape, but we have not lost a Lagunan, and that overshadows all the property devastation to me.”

But Orange County remained on alert. Fires flared fitfully along Ortega Highway, threatening nearby homes, and forecasters predicted the return of Santa Ana winds this afternoon. Despite Thursday’s respite and widespread relief, residents and firefighters remained uneasy. Reports of each new hot spot ignited fears that this was the start of something big and terrible.

What Orange County had suffered already seemed beyond imagination:

* Financial damage estimated to be in the billions.

* More than 25,000 acres blackened in three separate fires that had swept through Orange County since the first blaze erupted in Anaheim Hills.

* At least 330 homes in Orange County destroyed, including about 310 in the Laguna Canyon fire. Another fire that continued to burn out of control late Thursday night near Cleveland National Forest had claimed 15 structures and was threatening many others.

* More than 24,000 residents forced to flee homes in the Laguna Canyon area. Many were allowed to return to their neighborhoods Thursday as some roads reopened, but some were still expected to stay away from home another night.

In what seemed a miracle, no deaths were attributed to the fire, and the county coroner’s office also said there were no reports of missing persons. Still, at least 19 firefighters were reported injured in the blaze.

So severe was the damage that, when President Clinton designated a five-county federal disaster area in Southern California, state officials put Orange County at the top of the priority list. Orange County’s fires were among 14 major blazes that left an estimated 25,000 people from Ventura to San Diego counties without homes.

Gov. Pete Wilson offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of “the sick animal who did this thing.” Authorities believe the Laguna fire was set by an arsonist because they have found no evidence of a natural ignition source at the fire’s point of origin.

Nobody in Orange County could miss the signs of disaster Thursday. Ashes floated down from the sky like ugly snowflakes miles from the blaze. And everywhere, the air smelled of smoke.

“There are a lot of people wandering about up there, dazed and confused and in a total state of shock,” said County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider. “When you see the look in people’s faces, it’s scary.”

Across Laguna Beach, families ventured awe-struck into neighborhoods once so familiar only to find their dream house no longer existed. Others, fearing the worst, found the best. And throughout the town, the survivors told stories about heroes and victims; losses and luck.

Some of the snapshots:

* One fire crew that became separated from its strike team decided to make a stand on Tahiti Drive--ultimately saving the last home left standing on the block. “The ironic thing is, the guy didn’t have any insurance on his house,” said Orange County Chief Deputy Coroner Jim Beisner. “I shook his hand and gave his wife a hug and hoped some of that luck wore off.”

* In a home leveled to the ground, fire officials found a goldfish bowl with a live inhabitant.

* NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw reported the evening program from Laguna Beach.

* Residents such as Alfred Baldwin dodged police barricades and decided to return home by sea. Baldwin and his wife cruised their boat from Newport Harbor to Laguna, where Alfred Baldwin swam ashore. Baldwin said the idea was popular: He saw about a dozen other people doing the same thing.

* Among the victims was Sandra Longnecker. She dashed from her $1.6-million home in Temple Hills, grabbing mismatched shoes and a few other items as flames approached Wednesday. She returned a day later to find everything else gone.

“It’ll hit me when I go to put on my shoes and there will only be one of each,” she said.

It could have been worse. Flames came within feet of Laguna Beach City Hall and, thankfully, luck shone on some of the old California landmarks treasured by many--the Laguna Playhouse, the Hotel Laguna, Laguna Art Museum and Sawdust Festival grounds.

But Laguna Canyon also was the scene of the greatest tragedy, where wind-driven flames burst into one of the county’s most bucolic cities. Nearly 12,000 acres were burned in the Laguna fire--most by midnight Wednesday.

Laguna Beach was accessible only from the south on Thursday, as some stubborn hot spots kept emergency crews racing back and forth on Laguna Canyon Road and parts of Coast Highway. City Manager Kenneth C. Frank, who also lost his own home in the fire, said many burned neighborhoods remained closed Thursday while search crews sifted through debris for bodies and smoldering fires.

About 100 U.S. Marines had the thankless job of searching for bodies along Skyline Drive in Laguna Beach, but found none, officials said. About 100 homes also were searched for corpses along Coronado Way, Tahiti Avenue, Coral and Bermuda drives.

Officials said the bloodhounds used in the search could not get into some areas because the ground was still too hot.

Late Thursday, the most dangerous flames were burning through remote areas of the Cleveland National Forest, where thick smoke turned the afternoon skies dark and made the glowing horizon look like a sunset.

With more than 12,300 acres near Ortega Highway already charred, the fire blackened more acreage than the Laguna fire. But in such a remote area, the property toll was far less.

The fire had burned at least 15 homes in remote sections of the Ortega Canyon area and was still largely out of control Thursday night. The cause was undetermined.

The blaze was reported to be about three miles away from some of the newly built housing developments that dot Orange County’s backcountry. Emergency crews encouraged residents in Coto de Caza, Rancho Santa Margarita and Dove Canyon to evacuate Thursday afternoon, but didn’t order it.

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Officials said they were cautiously optimistic that they would be able to save those developments. They hoped to have the fire 30% contained by late Thursday and under full control before another blast of Santa Ana winds was forecast to arrive Saturday. Many firefighters were preparing for the long haul, setting up outdoor sleeping quarters.

The Ortega fire started about 4 p.m. Wednesday and was able to gain intensity because most of the firefighting resources were dedicated elsewhere, authorities said. “The key factor with this fire was the lack of resources,” said Norm Machado, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. “With all the fires around Southern California, we had nothing to attack the fire with--just a few engines and no aircraft.”

Shortly before noon, planes landing at Ontario International Airport brought federal fire crews from throughout the nation to help fight the Ortega Canyon blaze. About 200 firefighters set up a staging area at Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park, near San Juan Capistrano.

Gov. Wilson said he expected reinforcements of 600 more U.S. Forest Service personnel and that additional firefighters would be coming from Northern California.

The fire crews who battled the Laguna blaze when it raged at its peak Wednesday came back Thursday with stories of daunting obstacles. In addition to manpower and equipment shortages caused by the widespread fire emergencies throughout the Southland, many crews were short of their most important weapon: water.

In the Mystic Hills section of Laguna Beach, where conservative estimates placed the loss at 150 homes, firefighters faced one water-related problem after another.

Often, there simply wasn’t enough water to go around. When there was enough water, there wasn’t enough pressure to pump it uphill at maximum flow. Firefighters on one street often cadged for water from their counterparts on another.

“Nobody wants to give it up,” said Orange County firefighter Rink Nemnich, as he sat on the back of his engine on Skyline Drive, helpless. “We had one guy come by and ask us to try and save his house, but I told him we couldn’t, we were out of water.

“He was upset, but he understood.”

Left with dry wells, a shortage of water tankers and “Bambi buckets”--150-gallon-capacity baskets toted by helicopters--firefighters eventually laid lines in swimming pools and drained them dry, including the one at Laguna Beach High School.

Firefighters from Tulare County and Kings County, who had traveled some 300 miles to help, also were bedeviled by their hydrant attachments, which didn’t fit some of the hydrants.

“After the Oakland hills fire . . . they passed a law that said all hydrants in the state need to be uniform,” said Tulare County Fire Capt. Pete Arnet. “But the rules are probably less than a year old. And it’s going to take awhile to standardize things across the state.”

The fire drew a parade of government dignitaries from emergency management officials to a host of politicians. They toured the area in helicopters and buses and then relayed their observations to banks of media microphones.

Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Harriett M. Wieder described the area as “a war zone.” She said that when she saw the extent of the fires from a helicopter Wednesday night, “it made me sick to my stomach.”

Wilson said he felt “heartbreak for the families who have lost their homes and in some cases everything.”

Wilson also recognized a common theme in some of California’s most devastating fires, including this week’s firestorm and the Oakland fire two years ago that destroyed more than 3,000 homes. The problem, he said, was that Californians like to build homes in dangerous areas such as wooded canyons surrounded by highly combustible shrubs and grasses.

He suggested a series of reforms to make such areas less dangerous for residents and firefighters: “This has got to be prevented because it’s just asking too much of these firefighters.”

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Thursday afternoon, officials from Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived at John Wayne Airport, followed closely by Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) and California’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.

Cox, who represents much of the burned area, said his family’s home was in the evacuation area.

“My family and I weren’t home, but neighbors called and said the fire was approaching and said the house should be evacuated, so they removed wedding pictures and baby things and important personal stuff,” he said. “Fortunately my house was not burned, but that’s how close it came.”

Cox said he was disappointed when he checked and found the toughest penalty for arson is five years under federal law and eight years under state law.

“That is wholly inadequate,” he said. “Causing this kind of human misery is heinous.”

Authorities asked that people with tips about the arsonist call (800) 47ARSON.

Wilson said President Clinton told him Thursday morning that FEMA administrators would set up offices in all five fire-damaged counties and that fire victims would receive help within seven to 10 days after filing a request. For those who qualify, he said federal loans would be available to rebuild homes and businesses in the area.

James Lee Witt, the FEMA director sent to the scene Thursday morning by Clinton, also added a promise from the White House. “We will be here while the people get their lives back together and get back on their feet,” he said.

Laguna Beach City Manager Frank said the Orange County FEMA office would be in City Hall. He said utility companies will also establish an emergency office at City Hall for those who need temporary utility connections.

For information on the federal assistance program, homeowners can call (800) 525-0321. Renters can call (800) 462-9029.

Utility officials also said Thursday that work crews would be on duty round-the-clock until power is restored to areas cut off by the fire. More than 100 men and women from Southern California Edison were expected to work into the night to restore electricity to stricken areas in Laguna Beach.

Steve Nelson, area manager for Southern California Edison, said service was disrupted to 4,500 homes during the height of the fire, but it was restored to all but about 450 homes late Thursday. Nelson said about 300 of those homes without electricity had been gutted by the fire.

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Burned electrical wires that had to be cut down and replaced hung like blackened strings of spaghetti throughout the devastated areas.

Gas lines were also turned off to about 2,000 homes in the Laguna Beach area, said Mitchell Pratt, regional affairs manager for Southern California Gas Co. Pratt asked homeowners to have patience and refrain from activating pipelines themselves, adding that workers were moving quickly to restore service.

Thurston Middle School lost 14 of its 26 classrooms, but damage to three other public schools in Laguna Beach was minimal. Officials were searching for additional mobile classrooms and were considering temporarily sending students to other districts.

Both the Laguna and Ortega canyon fires destroyed some of Orange County’s most sensitive environmental preserves. In Laguna Canyon, the pristine areas have also been the focus of heated debates about development for years.

Joel Reynolds, a lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which represents several environmental groups, said the fire may have undone years of negotiations over the fate of the California gnatcatcher, a tiny coastal songbird that is an endangered species.

“We’ve always considered fire a major threat to the gnatcatcher,” Reynolds said. “I don’t know if the gnatcatcher can come back in this situation. When a species is this close to extinction, it’s extremely difficult.”

The canyon area also is the proposed site of the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor, a tollway to relieve traffic from much of the area’s newly built homes that has also prompted major protests.

Mike Stockstill, spokesman for the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency, said it was undetermined how much of the corridor was affected.

Much of the undeveloped private property that burned in Laguna Canyon was owned by the Irvine Co. Company officials reported most of the 6,600-acre Open Space Southern Reserve was scorched, but the extent of the damage was unknown.

“Certainly this was a tragedy of unbelievable proportion,” said Anthony R. Moiso, president of the Santa Margarita Co., which built many of the homes near the fire area. “I just thank God that my family is safe. Now comes the job of pulling together and cleaning up the ruin.”

Moiso’s home in Emerald Bay escaped the fire without substantial damage.

Elsewhere:

* The fire that destroyed 115 homes in Altadena and Sierra Madre, forcing the evacuation of more than 2,000 residents, continued to burn out of control after blackening more than 5,000 acres, but officials said the blaze posed no immediate threat to any more homes.

* Near Thousand Oaks, a 2-day-old fire that had consumed 33,000 acres of brush and destroyed 33 homes began to race eastward through Carlisle Canyon, pushing toward the exclusive community of Lake Sherwood and setting two homes ablaze on Stafford Road. Residents of those two communities were being evacuated, along with those in the dense subdivisions of western Westlake Village.

* In Riverside County, two fires that had burned 6,000 acres of brushland were declared fully contained, and a third blaze was brought largely under control.

* Slackening breezes and cooler overnight temperatures helped firefighters gain an upper hand on some of the most serious fires, but weather forecasters predicted a return of dry, warm, 20- to 40-m.p.h. winds today, raising fears that flames might be fanned anew.

“If the fires aren’t fully contained by Friday night, the embers will begin blowing again,” said WeatherData Inc. forecaster James McCutcheon. Although winds were expected to be less severe than those that fanned flames Tuesday and Wednesday, gusts again could reach speeds of 60 and 70 m.p.h. below some canyons, McCutcheon said.

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By Thursday, Orange County was designated the state’s top priority and the resources dedicated to the effort were doubled overnight.

In the face of widespread devastation, some victims who lost all struggled Thursday to keep their sense of humor. In some cases, it was all that was left. Those who had feared death as the searing flames encroached found themselves cherishing what they normally took for granted. The fire left a surreal trail in its wake.

A big-screen color television that escaped the flames was inexplicably left behind, propped atop a guard rail at the bend at Park Avenue and Wendt Terrace in Laguna Beach.

Kern County Fire Department Battalion Chief Cary Eckard drove 240 miles to fight the flames in Laguna Beach. When it was all over, the exhausted, soot-covered firefighters looked for a place to sleep. “We’ll probably stay in our rig,” Eckard said. “Right now, even a bed of hoses looks good.”

Patricia Powers, who works in the insurance field, managed to salvage a wok and a nail clipper from the rubble of her apartment on Manzanita Drive.

“I think I’m in shock,” she said. “I had pretty furniture and pretty things around. How do you replace that?”

A WAY TO SAY THANKS

The fires brought out the best in Orange County residents, many of whom helped their neighbors under the most difficult of conditions. There were acts of heroism by firefighters and acts of assistance by law enforcement officers and others. If there are people you would like to thank for their help during or after the fires, we would like to hear from you--with the objective of publishing your comments. To offer words of thanks to someone who helped you, a loved one or a friend, call TimesLink at (714) 808-8463, then press *8330. Please provide your name and a phone number where you can be reached, as well as any information you have on the person who helped.

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Contributing to coverage of the fires in Orange County were Times staff writers Leslie Berkman, Bill Billiter, Jeff Brazil, Jennifer Brundin, Anna Cekola, Lily Dizon, Tammerlin Drummond, Zan Dubin, David Haldane, Len Hall, Greg Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Matt Lait, Mark Landsbaum, Thuan Le, Caroline Lemke, Dave Lesher, Eric Lichtblau, Rene Lynch, Davan Maharaj, Gebe Martinez, Dana Parsons, Jeffrey A. Perlman, Mary Lou Pickel, Mark I. Pinsky, Mark Platte, David Reyes, Val Tkach, Rebecca Trounson, Dan Weikel and Jodi Wilgoren. Also contributing were correspondents Rose Apodaca, Geoff Boucher, Richard Core, Willson Cummer, Leslie Earnest, Bob Elston, Shelby Grad, Leslie Knowlton, Martin Miller, Jon Nalick, Terry Spencer and Iris Yokoi.