The wildfires sweeping through California have left a trail of devastation in their wake, according to these reports from US fire agencies, brought to you by Windows Live Maps.

A first fire damage estimate put the losses of just homes in San Diego County at more than $1 billion while President Bush signed a "major disaster" declaration that funnels money to people whose property losses aren’t covered by insurance.

Wildfires are burning across Southern California for a fourth day on Wednesday. MSN UK News brings you some key facts and figures about the fires.

Wildfires that have raged across California for several days are spreading and more than half a million people have been forced to flee their homes. President Bush has declared a state of emergency across seven counties in the state where firefighters are battling to control the blazes. Share your thoughts here.

Oil paintings by notorious gangland killer Ronnie Kray are to go to auction, but how do you rate the artistic endeavours of this infamous East End gangster?

In this exclusive video interview, Hazel Blears tells MSN how Twitter, Facebook and instant messaging could revolutionise British politics.