Around a million people have already been displaced by the disastrous fires in Southern California, which threaten the rich and the poor alike and are still burning out of control. Most of those affected are in the San Diego area, where hundreds of homes have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes to protect their lives. President Bush, who declared a state of emergency in California, is scheduled to visit the area Thursday.

"I think there's no question that a couple of lessons from Katrina we're putting into effect here are, first of all, planning and preparation in advance for these kinds of challenges," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a press conference. "Second, we have really flooded the zone as quickly as possible by staging assets to deal both with the firefighting issue and the response issue."

The tragedy is not over yet, as the weather doesn't seem to be favorable for Californians over the next day or so. The National Weather Service announced a red-flag warning for extreme gusty winds for San Diego through 6 p.m. PT Wednesday, but forecasters said firefighters should see an end to the "Santa Ana" winds that have fueled the fires by Thursday.

This type of winds, known locally as Santa Ana, blow hot and hard from the desert, often in October, when the dry, arid region is at its most vulnerable for wildfires. This means that the slightest spark or small fire, which usually would not spread, can lead to widespread hell. A downed power line is believed to have caused one of the fires this week, but the causes behind the others are unknown and will probably remain so. San Diego Fire spokesman Maurice Luque said the combination of the driest conditions in 200 years and the Santa Ana winds were "a recipe for disaster."

Rural areas surrounding San Diego, especially the southern half, is practically devastated. Press reports are that just north of the Mexican town of Tecate, the fire by Tuesday night had charred 70,000 acres, destroyed 200 homes, killed one man and injured 25, including five firefighters. Up north, Poway, Ramona, Lakeside, San Marcos, Valley Center, Rincon, Wildcat Canyon and Rancho Santa Fe have been hit by the wildfires.

Hollywood's and Malibu's rich have also run from the raging flames. The luxurious rehab where Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have sought treatment is no exception: "We evacuated Sunday morning before the order came because the conditions there were very frightening," Promises founder and CEO Richard Rogg told AP. "The power went out, the winds were blowing at hurricane force and you could see flames coming over the mountain top."

Also, Hollywood mogul David Geffen opened up his recently renovated Malibu Beach Inn to firefighters and rescue workers for free, the trade paper Daily Variety reported.