Developments

President Bush (shown above with a couple who lost their home) surveyed the damage in the hard-hit community of Rancho Bernardo. He declared seven counties a major disaster area, making residents eligible for federal assistance to help them rebuild.

Four charred bodies were found in an apparent migrant camp east of San Diego that was burned by a wildfire straddling the Mexican border, authorities said yesterday. If the fire was responsible for the deaths, it would raise the toll to seven people.

Firefighters took advantage of calmer winds and cooler weather to launch an aerial assault on several stubborn blazes.

Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted for most residential areas of San Diego.