European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 stars and stripes june 2007 in the states firefighters attack Blaze the associated press California officials declared a state of emergency monday in the area near Lake Tahoe where firefighters battled a raging Forest fire that has destroyed 225 buildings and forced about people to flee neighbourhoods near the Southern Edge of Lake the disaster declaration makes portions of Al Dorado county Eli Gible for immediate state Aid and is the first step in requesting emergency Federal assistance to fight the which rained Ash on the Pristine Lake and darkened skies in the High the circumstances of this by reason of their Magni Are beyond the control of the equip ment and facilities of any single said John Gara who signed the proclamation declaring the emergency monday while Arnold Schwarzenegger was in the believed to be caused by was approach ing acres nearly 4 Square Miles and was less than 10 per cent contained said Kevin House of the Al Dorado county sheriffs no injuries were the number of firefighters battling the Blaze nearly to about on monday As officials also stepped up an Aerial using nearly a dozen tankers and helicopters to drop water and retardant Over the heavily parched Ter hotels offered free stays to Many evacuees and locals cringed to one bit of Good news despite the there were still no reports of after leaving his rented Home of five years with his two Young children and Matt Cathurn Nova of firefighters work to save Homes in the area of new South like on a Legal showed up at a recreation Center Mon Day morning looking for clothes and a sleeping his family fled the fire sunday afternoon and Laster said they lost All the including his Star trek collectibles and grateful dead we Are doing i think we Are going to get resettled pretty Laster we were going to have to move so we were laughing Well we Are pretty much in other the fire seemed to randomly skip some but downed Power Trees and debris made Clear that life would not return to Normal any time soon even for those whose Homes were David Reno Storey county duty chief Jason Speltz on monday walks through the Iron Gate of a Home destroyed by the Angora fire at South Lake a winners name will be randomly drawn from those entered in the Happy birthday America shopping spree at 4 Winner will receive Ana Afes or nex gift card fora shopping spree in an appropriate design a birth turd in Honor of United states of americas birthday july 4 and write a greeting to a deployed service Register your card online at under the Happy birthday America shopping spree link and print out a registration form to affix to the bask of your card the May be used for merchandise items purchased May not be retry Edjor h