RESIDENTS RETURN TO THEIR BURNED OUT HOMES NEAR SAN DIEGO, 2003-10-28 (photo)

Loretta Mortensen (R) is consoled by friend Thelma Nieber after  visiting the burned home of her father in Crest, California, October  28, 2003. Much of the neighborhood near San Diego was destroyed when a  wildfire roared through the area on Sunday. The fires have killed 18  people, including two in Mexico, and destroyed more than 1,900 homes  and outbuildings, state officials said. Firefighters battling  California's deadly wildfires, among the most destructive in state  history, turned optimistic on Tuesday as hot winds whipping the flames  gave way to cooler conditions but officials warned that the situation  was still fraught with danger. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith    RG/GN