For days now I've gotten to know people here in this part of San Diego County and come to understand what the words "rising above it all" really mean. Family after family, in each and every case, I've been taken by the words and feelings of people who lost so much so quickly.

FOX 11's Gigi Graciette shares thoughts and photos that she took while covering the October 2007 wildfires that ravaged parts of Southern California.

Take a look and share your thoughts with her.

You can't even comprehend how awful these fires are until you see the burned out homes up close and personal.

Been in Malibu and San Diego since Sunday. It's just overwhelming...

You can't even comprehend how awful these fires are until you see the burned out homes up close and personal.

Been in Malibu and San Diego since Sunday. It's just overwhelming...

After a week of devastating fires in San Diego, kids put on their Halloween costumes and hit the streets for a night of trick or treating.

The Santiago Fire is approximately 90 percent contained, thanks to the tireless and hard work by firefighters.

Barring a significant wind event, the end could be in sight by Sunday.

In the areas near Rim of the World, fire evacuees are returning home after evacuation ordered were lifted due to the wildfires.

Some of the victims of the fires are returning home to find ashes where their homes once stood.

People in the burn areas of San Diego County are starting to put their lives back together after the wildfires that hit the area.

Jeff Michael shares some of their stories.

In Running Springs, two teachers are trying to figure out what to do about their home being destroyed in the Slide Fire. More than 270 homes were lost in that fire.

Rory Markas has their story from Running Springs.

The Santiago Fire is still threatening around 200 homes in Silverado Canyon and the canyon areas of Black Star and Baker.

This, as more than 3,000 people were allowed to return home in other parts of the area affected by that fire.

Crews were lighting backfires Monday to eliminate potential brush fuel ahead of the 28,400-acre Santiago Fire in Orange County.

In the San Bernardino Mountains, $18 million worth of firefighting power almost has the Grass Valley and Slide Fires contained.

However, several mountain communities, including Running Springs, remain under evacuation orders.

The long recovery process has begun in San Diego County.

Hundreds of homes were lost in the Rancho Bernardo area alone. Community members held a forum Monday night to discuss what needs to be done.

Members of the Malibu Presbyterian Church watched their sanctuary burn to the ground at the start of the Canyon Fire, but they did not lose their spirit. The congregation gathered at the Malibu Performing Arts Center for their first service since losing their church building.

The San Diego Chargers helped bring a sense of normalcy to a region that's been ravaged by deadly wildfires on Sunday.

Urged on by a cheer of "Go, Chargers, Go!" from Governor Schwarzenegger, the Chargers routed the Texans, 35-10.

The Red Cross, FEMA and even the DMV have set up shop in San Diego County as they try to help fire victims start down the road to recovery after the wildfires.

Fire officials are considering whether to allow people forced to evacuate because of the Santiago Fire to go home.

If evacuation orders are lifted, only residents would be allowed back to the area, and road blocks would still be in effect.
 

Thousands of people have lost everything they've owned in the fires. Surprisingly, many wildfire victims still manage to keep a positive outlook.

Hal Eisner brings us some of these uplifting stories from Rancho Bernardo.

The wildfire devastation isn't limited to homes. Businesses have been hit hard.

Cristy Fajardo has the story of one business owner who's already reopened despite heavy losses.

The Santiago Fire in Orange County is still endangering many homes. Governor Schwarzenegger visited the area on Saturday to comfort fire victims and deliver some harsh words to arsonists and potential scammers and looters..

Residents of some San Bernardino mountain communities like Lake Arrowhead have been allowed to return home to see what has survived the flames, but other evacuees are still waiting and wondering.

Across San Diego County, the region hardest hit by the firestorms that began last weekend, thousands of evacuees have been trickling back to neighborhoods stripped bare. Some found homes still standing while others weren't so lucky.

Members of the Malibu Presbyterian Church, destroyed by the Canyon Fire, are talking about a new beginning and rebuilding.

This week's services will be held at the Malibu Performing Arts Center at 10am.

Evacuees in San Bernardino County met with fire officials in an attempt to get more information about their situation and their homes. Many say they're frustrated because they're not sure of what comes next.

Authorities asked for the public's help Friday in finding a white Ford F150 between the model years of 1998-2004, with chrome tubular running boards, that was seen in the area about the time the Santiago fire started.

Orange County elected officials are angry at the federal government for what they're calling a failure to provide adequate planes and helicopters to fight the fires.

While many distraught homeowners have to decide whether to rebuild or move on, one Lake Arrowhead family doesn't have to worry. Miraculously, their home still stands unscathed. Chris Blatchford shares their story.

For many families forced to evacuate their homes, the guessing game begins. When the smoke clears, will they have a home to return to?

Thursday was a day of relief for some Rancho Bernardo residents who had evacuated during the fires. They came home to find their homes had been spared by the inferno. Others weren't lucky in that respect.

Firefighters battling the Southern California wildfires face challenges aside from putting out the flames. Simple amenities are hard to come by in tent cities many are living in for now. They're getting help from an unusual source... hundreds of prison inmates.

President Bush, who has declared seven Southern California counties a federal disaster area, was in the San Diego area on Thursday. He thanked firefighters, comforted residents, and promised comprehensive federal aid to fire victims.

People evacuated from the Rancho Bernardo area in San Diego County have started returning to their neighborhoods. While there has been good news for some, many are returning to find their homes in ruins.

Law enforcement officials are taking no chances... they're already creating a task force to deal with wildfire-related fraud cases and prosecute anyone found to be taking advantage of fire victims.

Thousands of people fled to Qualcomm Stadium, home to the NFL's San Diego Chargers, because of the fires. FOX 11's Carlos Amezcua brings us their emotional stories from there.

A pair of wildfires burn on the Camp Pendleton military base, with flames and thick smoke creeping so close to I-5 that the freeway has been shut down.

Offshore winds that have fanned the flames in the Santiago Fire are starting to let up, but forecasters are predicting another day of temperatures in the 90s. Bob DeCastro reports from Modjeska Canyon.

Firefighters say if the two fires that continue to burn in the Lake Arrowhead area merge, the results could be catastrophic.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the Santa Clarita area with an an entourage of government officials. He also responded to harsh criticism from an Orange County Fire lawmaker.

Helicopters, super-scoopers and other aircraft have been instrumental in the fight against the raging Southern California wildfires.

At least one hundred homes have burned to the ground in Rancho Bernardo in San Diego County.

People living in the community of Poway near San Diego still managed to count its blessings despite their losses due to the Southern California wildfires.

Thousands of people poured into shelters in Orange County fleeing the fires encroaching on their homes.

About a dozen homes had been lost to the Santiago Fire as of Tuesday night, despite firefighters' valiant efforts to save them.

While the majority of people ordered to evacuate areas threatened by the Slide and Grass Valley Fires, some chose to stay behind.

Entire communities surrounding Lake Arrowhead have been evacuated due to the huge fires in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Thousands of people in the San Diego area took refuge at Qualcomm Stadium to escape the fires. It was a scene reminiscent of the Hurricane Katrina evacuations... but, this time, nothing went wrong.

Governor Schwarzenegger and other state, county and city officials held a press conference in Santa Clarita to give an update on the Southern California wildfires as of Tuesday night.