Breaking News: Southern California Fires Coverage
The following stories were submitted for consideration in the Pulitzer Prize’s Breaking News category.
Thousands Evacuate as Flames Scorch 50,000 Acres
October 26, 2003
13 Die, 700 Structures Are Lost to Wind-Driven Flames
October 27, 2003
Their house would collapse in a smoking ruin, and tears would stain their faces for hours afterward, but at least they had the family pictures.
October 27, 2003
The phone woke Joe McLean shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday and outside he saw the red glow of flames in the hills surrounding his rural San Diego County home.
October 28, 2003
On a street in the tiny community of Crest, some residents whose homes were destroyed in a 1970 fire lose out once again.
October 29, 2003
Firefighter Dies Near Julian; 350 Homes Burn in Arrowhead
October 30, 2003
The fire broke over the mountain crest in sheets just before dawn Wednesday and whipped across the Rim of the World Highway like a cross-cut saw, foiling the plans of Fire Capt. David Shew. He ordered his 20-man strike team into their trucks and told them to roll up the windows and wait.
October 30, 2003
Some residents of a rural San Diego County community drove through flames to safety early Sunday, while neighbors perished.
October 30, 2003
Cuyamaca is virtually burned away. Residents of the area must walk for miles to learn if their homes survived the fire.
October 31, 2003
Fire protection in San Diego County, where 16 people died this week in massive blazes, lags significantly behind other areas of the state in terms of resources, coordination and equipment.
October 31, 2003
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