Steven Snyder stood by his bedroom window, gazing out as his neighborhood burned. Waves of red and orange flames and plumes of black smoke swallowed everything in sight — yet, remarkably, his house stood unscathed.

Firefighters were gaining ground Monday on a wildfire that raced across more than 32 square miles north of Los Angeles, damaged or destroyed almost 250 homes, businesses and other structures and continued to "creep and smolder" in steep rugged terrain.

Authorities said firefighters battled fierce, howling winds and rescued people as a fast-moving Southern California wildfire exploded in size.

New Jersey’s governor declared a drought warning. Black Hawk helicopters scooped water from a lake to dump on a burning forest in New York state. A park in Manhattan caught fire. And authorities in two states revealed criminal charges Wednesday against people accused of setting some of the wildfires that have plagued the northeast U.

New Jersey’s governor declared a drought warning. Black Hawk helicopters scooped water from a lake to dump on a forest fire burning in New York state.

Across the country in California, the Mountain Fire continues to burn in Ventura County. Weather conditions triggered red flag warnings Tuesday in the Northeast and firefighters in California continued to battle a large wildfire that has burned over 20,