As expected, the charges against suspected arsonist Harry Burkhart are continuing to mount, as today prosecutors are expected to add a whopping 63 additional criminal counts to the 37 counts Burkhart already faces. That brings the total of criminal counts Burkhart currently will face up to 100. more ›

The man accused of setting fires around L.A. over the past week might have been acting out over his mother's pending deportation. At the time of his arrest, 24-year-old Harry Burkhart told officers, "I hate America," more ›

After a thermometer-busting week, the Southland is getting rocked by thunder, rain, hail and the possibility of flash floods that will continue into Sunday, according to weather reports. more ›

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a number of fires that have been deliberately set in North Hollywood over the past few weeks, reports the Daily Breeze. The arrest was made following another fire that was set in a mobile home in the 7300 block of Farmdale Avenue around 4:30 this morning. more ›

The serial arsonist setting North Hollywood ablaze is still on the loose. "The Los Angeles Fire Department’s Arson/Counter-Terrorism Section has now been called is working closely with officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Community Police Station in an active, ongoing investigation," notes a news release. more ›

An arsonist is being hunted in connection with "at least 14 car, mobile home and apartment fires" in North Hollywood over the past two days, says CBS Local. more ›

Officials reported a series of early morning "spot fires" in Hollywood that may be the work of an arsonist, says ABC Local. Authorities found a trash can on fire when they were called to Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue around 4 a.m.... and the calls kept a-coming. more ›

A brush fire in Riverside County that blazed through 45 acres of light grass is now contained, reports ABC7. The fire was spotted at 12:20 p.m. in the area of Pacific Avenue and Canal Street in Rubidoux and spread quickly causing concern, however no injuries or evacuations were reported. more ›

The National Weather Service this morning issued a flash flood watch for several areas that have burned over the last year from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. "A strong Pacific storm system moving into Central and Southern California will bring the threat of heavy rain," an alert stated. Up to four inches are expected in many areas. more ›

Last November, the Pasadena Marathon was all set to have its inaugural run, but Mother Nature had other plans, leading to the event's false start. SoCal's air was saturated with smoke and ash from the Triangle and Sayre fires, and the race was canceled the night before. But tomorrow the race is on again, and about 2,000 folks are expected to participate in the marathon, which will cover the requisite 26.2 miles beginning and ending at Pasadena City College. The day will also include a half marathon, bike tour, 5k race, and a fun run/walk. If you live in, or are headed to Pasadena, be advised there will be street closures in effect; check here for details. more ›

LAist Featured Photos contributor Tales of an L.A. Addict tempts us with their photos from the popular family owned Hof's Hut in Long Beach (though they have expanded with a few more SoCal locations). Those criss cut fries in photo #2 look really good right now. more ›

KGRL -- mentioned previously here -- is a local "...non-profit non-commercial internet radio station that plays the freshest and the best ALL QUALITY female artist / fronted acts in a wide variety of genres." Their "Top 10 Artists To Watch Out For In 2007" included local singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (MySpace), who in 2008 experienced mainstream recognition due to "Love Song", which garnered Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Song of The Year. more ›

Here are the fires and smoke as seen on Sunday from a NASA satellite. The smoke, spread out through the region, is much worse than the smoke last month during the Sesnon and Marek Fires (see that satellite image here). As health officials warn, keep that in mind when you see and/or smell smoke.
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If you're traveling into, out of or through areas affected by the Sesnon or Marek Fire, here's the latest as of a 3:15 p.m. update sent out by the Mayor's Office. The more current info is updated at (800) 439-2909. Below are roadway and public transit updates: more ›

Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents the district that has Griffith Park within it, is meeting up with residents and hikers in two meetings tonight to discuss the seven fires that were lit at the park this past weekend. Arson is suspected. more ›

Two 22-year-old men have been arrested on suspicion for setting 26 fires over a two-week period which began June 30 when 14 arson fires set throughout the night and into the early morning. Officials used a surveillance tape from an AM/PM mini-mart to identify the suspects. more ›

Thunderstorms are predicted for the Southwest, but they will mostly develop over Arizona and parts of Utah. As for California, there is a very slight chance for thunderstorms in Southeastern California and Northern California (where dry lightening strikes caused over 1700 fires in the state since June 20). As for Los Angeles weather in the recent spate of hot weather predictions, Ken Clark, Expert Senior Meteorlgist with Accuweather.com says most of the reported extreme heat will be in Northern and Central California. "We're pretty much going to have fairly typical weather for this time of the year. It's nothing out of the ordinary." And if it does get really hot, LA County has opened cooling centers. more ›

The National Weather Service is saying weather this holiday weekend "poses modest danger for fire," per the LA Times. But winds are expected to remain calm while humidity stays within critical ranges. Temperatures this weekend are forecasted to range from the mid-70s to the mid-80s to high 90s, depending if you are in a coastal area, in the city or in a valley, respectively. more ›

The Long Beach Fire Dept.'s Arson Division is searching for suspects on the city's west side where more than a dozen small fires were started late Monday night/early Tuesday morning. "With the time of day and the close proximity to residences, any of these fires could have turned into something far more serious, even fatal," said LBFD Batallion Chief Frank Hayes. Fires were set to vehicles and in trash cans although no serious damage was done. At least 22 arson fires have been set in the past seven days, according to Hayes. For more information, visit the LBFD's Firechannel Blog. more ›

In 10 days, 30 homes have been lost among the 1,500 fires that have blazed through around 400,000 acres of land. "All my life I knew it might burn -- and it finally did," said a Big Sur resident who lost her home. "But when you live in a place like that, you have to take the consequences." If there ever was a warning not to do your own fireworks this week, this would be it. It's a fragile time and Southern California has been lucky. more ›

President Bush today declared the entire state of California to be in a state of emergency and ordered 75 percent federal funding for firefighting efforts. "I just took off with the plane down from Los Angeles and, literally from Los Angeles all the way up here, there was smoke, so you can see that there's fire everywhere," Gov. Schwarzenegger noted in an earlier request for federal aid. "This fire season has started with a vengeance,'' Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in thanking the president for the emergency declaration. "Lightning has ignited blazes up and down the state, stretching our resources to the limit.'' Nearly 200,000 acres have burned from Big Sur to the Oregon border according to Cal Fire. more ›

Southern California may be getting the extreme heat, but NorCal has it worse with fires -- over one hundred by the Associated Press' count. more ›

Yesterday at a press conference with Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard regarding the renewal of a Sister City relationship, Mayor Villaraigosa went off topic, but with good reason: water woes could be ahead, according to the Daily News. With the fires, extreme water drought and light snowpack this year, water is tight. Earlier this summer, the mayor made a call for the public to voluntarily reduce water use, hoping for a 10% decrease (even... more ›

Following a flap from an LA Times article that found 60,000 LAUSD students attend school within 500 feet of a freeway, the school district is looking into ways it can reduce the health hazards for kids close to pollution-filled freeways. Maybe the school district can use the $53 million in funds they're trying to recoup to build domes over playgrounds. Thousands of birds and an immeasurable amount of fish have died as a result... more ›

Norman Mailer, the controversial and beloved novelist and winner two Pulitzer Prizes died today in New York City of acute renal failure. The author of almost 50 books, Mailer lived a life beset by tragedy, triumph and tribulation. He once ran for Mayor of NYC and was almost stabbed to death by one of his wives. Mailer was 84. Out of the ashes of one fire in San Diego, a man sold a charred,... more ›

Free at last! Starbucks has taken up the guise of responsible community membership by making its T-Mobile wireless access free in some Southern California stores through October 31. The reason for the change? No, they didn't realize that the 11th Commandment is "Thou shalt have free wireless" – they want to help out those who've suffered as a result of the recent rash of wildfires. T-Mobile HotSpots are ordinarily a princely fee of $6... more ›

Orlando Bloom will not be prosecuted after an October 12th incident in which he injured his two passengers in a car crash involving parked cars. He said he was avoiding a photographer who suddenly changed lanes. Seeing these paparazzi in action, we suspect it was them who caused the crash, most likely on purpose for some higher dollar photo sales. Starting from last week today, the San Jose Mercury News has a great timeline... more ›

You'd think that two years after the slow-as-molasses response that President Bush was justly criticized for in the wake of Katrina, that he would have learned from his mistakes and treated the most recent California fires the way a leader should: quickly, decisively, and compassionately. Instead, he flew out to Cali on the fourth day of the fires (progress from the five days that it took him to set foot in the Gulf Coast... more ›

It's too hot for C-SPAN: Bush rocks out -- slightly -- to a band playing “Guantanamera” at a Hispanic heritage month event. "It's time to end the tradition of holocaust denial that has only deepened the pain of those whose parents and grandparents suffered the unspeakable horror of ethnic cleansing," Mayor Villaraigosa said about City Council's calling the 1.5 million Armenians killed a genocide. "When we don't speak up, when we are silent, what... more ›

The Dan Patrick radio show recently debuted in Southern California (check 570 KLAC in the mornings), but this isn't what he meant by "En Fuego." While often immune to the real world, local sports have been impacted by the disaster in several ways. Of course, let's keep this all in perspective ... the real losses are to the families and the real heroes are the firefighters. - The San Diego Chargers are practicing in Arizona... more ›