Bush Tours Trail of Destruction From California's Wildfires

President George Bush took a helicopter tour yesterday over the smoldering devastation of California's brush fires, promising government aid to those who lost their homes and livelihoods to the flames.

Air Force One touched down at San Diego airport at mid-morning local time, and Mr Bush was soon airborne once again, touring the southern part of the state with the state governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The pair later visited affected districts around San Diego.

Hours earlier, on a rain-drenched morning in Washington, Mr Bush had told reporters that his heart went out to the people of southern California, where hundreds of homes and hundreds of thousands of hectares of land have been destroyed by the brush fires.

"I fully understand that the people have got a lot of anguish in their hearts, and they just need to know a lot of folks care about them," he said. "I will assure the people of California that the federal government will be deploying resources, assets and manpower necessary to help fight these fires."

Mr Bush's show of concern for those whose lives have been disrupted by the fires - which include several A-list celebrities as well as ordinary people - was intended to banish the reputation of an uncaring administration because of its slow response to Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

Yesterday's visit had been carefully choreographed with Mr Schwarzenegger to ensure that Mr Bush conveyed an impression of concern - without being accused of hindering the relief effort with a presidential visit.

"There will be help for the people of California," Mr Bush said yesterday.

The administration declared the fires a major disaster on Wednesday, which allows federal relief agencies to funnel more assistance to the recovery effort by state and local governments.

However, the president faced accusations of trying to score political points from the misery of others. "We'll be polite but frankly that's not a solution," California's Democratic lieutenant governor, John Garamendi, said on the eve of the presidential visit. "How about sending the national guard back from Iraq?"

Mr Bush's visit began on a day when there had been a flicker of optimism that falling temperatures and dying winds would aid the struggle to control the flames. However, the pilot of the press plane accompanying Air Force One reported seeing a pall as far away as Arizona, and the San Diego airport smelled of smoke.

Two more people were confirmed dead yesterday after their charred bodies were discovered in their home in Poway, north of San Diego. More than a dozen fires were still burning as the day began, and in San Diego county barely 40% of the flames were under control, five days after the first fires were ignited.

The fires have also disrupted the lives of those ordinarily insulated from natural disaster by their wealth and connections. Many Hollywood celebrities maintain second homes in the Malibu area. Others frequent its sushi bars and even rehab clinics - such as Promises, where Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan were treated, which was evacuated.

Olivia Newton-John, who starred opposite John Travolta in the film Grease, was among the first to be evacuated at the weekend as hotels in beach-front towns filled up with well-heeled refugees from the flames. Cher and Mel Gibson also had to flee to safety.

Several of the evacuees have moved into the notorious celebrity hangout, Chateau Marmont. For those unable to pay for such exclusive refuges, the billionaire record producer David Geffen invited firefighters and volunteer workers yesterday to stay for free in his recently renovated Malibu hotel.