Free Republic

LOS ANGELES - A wind-whipped wildfire grew rapidly along the city's northwestern edge Thursday, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations as firefighters worked under hot, dry conditions. Winds that had spread flames a day earlier were calmer, but the fire turned out to be far larger than originally thought. Firefighters increased their estimates of the wildfire's size to around 17,000 acres after daylight surveys, more than double the early morning figure of 7,000 acres, said Fire Capt. Carlos Calvillo. More than 1,000 firefighters worked against the tricky combination of dry brush, low humidity and temperatures in the high 90s...

Night battle on outskirts of Baghdad US troops are fighting Iraqi forces on the southern outskirts of Baghdad. Marines have traded heavy fire with Iraqi militia units, while army units encountered lighter resistance from Iraqi forces southeast of the city. A large explosion rocked a presidential complex in central Baghdad used by Saddam Hussein's son Qusay. Brigadier General Vincent Brooks, speaking at US Central Command headquarters in Qatar, said special operations forces were in key locations inside the capital. US forces reported that about 2,500 Republican Guards surrendered between the cities of Kut and Baghdad. Coalition forces have confronted two...