I wrote a post about Malibu fires - it's the story that counts but the news, itself, is a commodity two days ago when the California Fires around San Diego and Malibu were more localized, but now they've spread and yet are finally contained.  However, I had not covered the technology angle:

In Web 2.0 & The California Fire Crisis Alistair Croll at GigaOM tells a personal story of being in San Diego and seeing the wildfires erupt and consume everything in their path and found that Twitter was the best way to get information:

"…Traditional media have been hopelessly outdated in their coverage. We tracked the fires using the National Weather Service’s reflectivity index, which proved far more accurate. But the enterprising folks at the L.A. Fire Department found a better way: they’ve been issuing frequent updates using Twitter."

"…But today’s end user demands more than just a radio broadcast. As Wired points out, Twitter subscribers can mimic this model with a cell phone to receive quick updates."

Other Know More Media blogs have covered the California fires - SistersinBiz.com, for example mentions that local support have been overwhelming:

"…The response from local businesses, organizations, and individuals has been  overwhelming: from people arriving at Qualcomm Stadium to horses being stabled at the Del Mar racetrack."

Noticed that many high tech businesses had to close manufacturing plants in the area, and I wonder what the impact of those closures will be - there's also been 350,000 people evacuated due to the California Fires.