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Several massive fires, fueled by hot winds and scorching temperatures, have devastated Northern San Diego County this week, prompting Governor Jerry Brown to declare the area in a state of emergency.
There are at least five major fires still raging through the county, and the blazes have scorched more than 20,000 acres as of today, firefighters said. So far eight houses, an 18-unit condo complex and two businesses have been destroyed in the fires. Some of the areas hit the hardest have been Carlsbad, San Marcos and Escondido. Firefighters have been able to contain 10 percent of the fires as of today.
A map of where the fires have hit in San Diego can be seen here. Since San Diego is expected to have a change in weather conditions today with lower temperatures, milder winds and higher humidity, fire crews are hoping that will help them contain more of the fire.
One person was found dead on Thursday in a homeless encampment in Carlsbad, whose body was burned from the Poinsettia fire. Authorities are investigating the death; it's not clear yet if the person's death was caused by the fire.
The first major blaze, dubbed the "Bernardo fire," started in San Diego on Tuesday. Several other fires sprouted up separately from that one, including a couple at Camp Pendleton.
Authorities are looking into why there were so many fires that started as the same time and if the blazes had been set intentionally. So far, two teenagers, 19-year-old Isaiah Silva and a 17-year-old, both from Escondido, have been arrested in connection with two smaller fires that were extinguished quickly. A man notified authorities on Tuesday that he saw two people trying to start a fire in the Kit Carson Park area, according to KTLA. Police haven't found any evidence linking the two to the 10 largest fires.
Here is a time-lapse video showing the Coco fire growing in San Marcos, taken from the Stone Brewing Co. rooftop in Escondido on Thursday:
Here is a pretty shocking video taken on a drive through the fires:
