Actor Ryan O’Neal’s son Redmond was sent to jail in Southern California following a drugs arrest and hours later his brother was taken to hospital after a car crash.

An actor who appeared in the film 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' has been convicted of the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend in a knife attack.

The prosecutor in the trial of an actor for attempted murder said today there was a “mountain of evidence” against the man accused of trying to kill his ex girlfriend by repeatedly stabbing her.

US authorities said a 55-year-old man went into cardiac arrest and died after being stung more than 500 times by bees as he cleared brush from a property in Southern California.

BEFORE he called the emergency services, James Sikes says he reached down with his hand to loosen the “stuck” accelerator on his 2008 Toyota Prius, his other hand on the steering wheel. The pedal didn’t move.

Powerful winds fanned three major southern California wildfires after destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands to flee today.

Powerful winds fanned three major southern California wildfires after destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands to flee today.

A shark killed a 66-year-old swimmer who was training in the sea off California with a group of triathletes, authorities said today.

A series of apparently random shootings along Californian main roads are giving drivers the jitters.

Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock’s critical architects was overshadowed by his ogre-like image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner, died today at his home in suburban San Diego.

Cloudy skies and occasional raindrops brought a welcome improvement in conditions in southern California, where firefighters were battling wildfires.

With some of the worst wildfires dying down, many southern Californians lucky enough to find their homes still standing are likely to face hardships for weeks to come.

THOUSANDS of devastated evacuees were yesterday returning to what was left of their homes as fires continued to threaten other parts of southern California.

Thousands of sad evacuees were today returning to what was left of their homes as fires continued to threaten other parts of Southern California.

Firefighters battling wildfires menacing southern California discovered the bodies of six people killed by the flames.

Thousands of homes were still under threat from wildfires in California today despite a break in the strong winds fanning the flames.

Firefighters were given a breathing space in their battle against the blazes sweeping Southern California today.

US President George Bush is planning to visit areas affected by devastating wildfires tomorrow, after declaring a federal emergency for seven counties.

The rich and famous of Hollywood could not avoid southern California’s devastating fires.

THOUSANDS more residents were ordered to evacuate their homes yesterday, bringing the number of people chased away by the flames that have engulfed southern California to at least 300,000.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated and thousands of homes remain at risk tonight as wildfires tear through southern California, US authorities said.

Celebrities like Mel Gibson, Kelsey Grammer and Victoria Principal have been forced to flee their homes in Southern California driven out by unstoppable brush fires that are devastating the region.

Thousands of people were being evacuated from houses, nursing homes and a hospital as brush fires fanned by fierce desert winds swept across Southern California today.

Thousands of homes were still at risk from wildfires raging through tinder-dry Californian countryside today.

Firefighters were battling two raging wildfires in Southern California that forced nearly 2,000 people to evacuate.

Several new variants of a computer worm emerged today to attack corporate networks running the Windows 2000 operating system, just a week after Microsoft Corp. warned of the security flaw.

As acrid smoke from more than 18,000 acres of charred brush curled skyward today, California officials feared the earlier-than-usual start of the summer wildfires season could make it the most dangerous ever.

Southern California’s first wildfires of the season burned homes and brushlands and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

A wave of residents returned to their southern California mountain communities following a week of wildfires that have killed 20 people and destroyed more than 3,400 homes.

A SECOND wave of residents displaced by Southern California’s wildfires were being allowed home yesterday after a weekend of cooler, calmer weather helped firefighters begin to bring the blazes under control.

A second group of residents forced to flee their houses by Southern California’s wildfires were being allowed to return home today.

CHILLY temperatures and dense fog helped stall the deadly wildfires that raced across Southern California yesterday as a few hardy residents waited nervously to see if the flames would claim the last sizeable town still under threat.

Chilly temperatures and dense fog today helped stall the deadly wildfires that raced across Southern California as a few hardy residents waited nervously to see if flames would claim the last sizeable town still threatened.

Arsonists are to blame for at least three of the raging fires in southern California that have so far claimed the lives of 20 people and destroyed more than 2,600 homes, authorities said.

WITH towering flames bearing down on southern California mountain towns, firefighters last night dug in to protect hundreds of homes while praying for more help from lower temperatures.

With towering flames bearing down on Southern California mountain towns, firefighters dug in to protect hundreds of homes today praying for help from lower temperatures.

Firefighters struggled desperately to save emptied-out resort towns in southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains as 200ft walls of flame engulfed dead and dried-out trees.

THE hot Santa Ana wind that has been driving California’s most destructive wildfires in history was giving way to cooler, more humid conditions yesterday, but that did little to tame the blazing tide as crews fought to save more homes.

Tens of thousands of people fled mountain communities in southern California as frantic residents raced to avoid the state’s deadliest wildfires in more than a decade.

WITH wind-driven flames threatening the densely populated San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, firefighters dug in yesterday for another brutal day of battling one of the most destructive and deadly wildfire seasons in Californian state history.

With wind-driven flames threatening the densely populated areas near Los Angeles, firefighters dug today for another brutal day battling one of the most destructive and deadly wildfire outbreaks in California history.

Ash fell on the beach like snow as California’s deadliest outbreak of fires in more than a decade destroyed more than 1,100 homes, killed at least 15 people and consumed land from south of the Mexican border to the suburbs north of Los Angeles.

WILDFIRES driven by hot Santa Ana winds flared into gigantic waves of flame that devoured entire neighbourhoods, choking the sky over Southern California with smoke and ash, and killing at least 13 people, in the state's deadliest outbreak of fires in more than a decade.

Wildfires merged into walls of flame stretching across miles in parts of Southern California, leaving 13 people dead, burning 650 homes and frustrating overmatched firefighters who worked relentlessly against fierce winds.