Fire

The White fire that burned nearly 2,000 acres in Santa Barbara County this week was started accidentally, officials said Friday. The blaze was sparked by embers that escaped from an approved fire-use site at the White Rock Day Use Area in the Santa Barbara Ranger District's Lower Santa Ynez Recreation Area, a joint investigation by Los Padres National Forest officials and the district attorney's Arson Task Force found. Preliminary estimates put the cost of the fire at $3 million.

CHICAGO - It wasn't long ago that the Kings' Jonathan Quick had to listen and, presumably, read about all the other great goaltenders in the NHL. Especially from Kings Coach Darryl Sutter. Sutter raved about the All-Star goalie from his Calgary days, Miikka Kiprusoff, and made comparisons last season between Kiprusoff and Quick, suggesting Quick still had to prove his worth over a period of time. Again, last season, he shrewdly engaged in more motivational tactics with Quick, using the Sharks' Antti Niemi as the impetus.

A brush fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Castaic burned out of control Thursday night, destroying one structure and forcing authorities to evacuate residents as flames burned near homes and threatened high-voltage power lines. The Powerhouse fire spread quickly amid high winds throughout the afternoon and had charred at least 1,000 acres of dry brush and chaparral along San Francisquito Canyon, fire officials said. As night descended, a helicopter was searching for hikers who may be missing in the area, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

John Tortorella was defiant in stating that the New York Rangers didn't take a step back when they were knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the second round. General Manager Glen Sather thought otherwise and fired the combative coach Wednesday. The fiery Tortorella was let go four days after the Rangers' season ended with a Game 5 loss at Boston to the Bruins. New York had reached the Eastern Conference finals last year and was considered to be a championship contender in this lockout-shortened season.

Hundreds of firefighters were battling a brush fire Tuesday night that had charred 2,000 acres in Santa Barbara County and forced authorities to evacuate about 50 homes earlier in the day. The White fire raged out of control on a day when Southern California was buffeted by high winds as fire crews responded to other, smaller brush fires in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties. The White fire broke out Sunday in the Los Padres National Forest and flames quickly consumed brush, oak trees and chaparral, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Glenn Egelko used Ticketmaster to buy tickets to a matchup this month at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena between the United States and Iranian wrestling teams. This was real wrestling - the kind that used to be part of the Olympics until Olympic officials killed the event. It wasn't the kind in which over-muscled men leap from the tops of the ropes or bash each other with folding chairs. In any case, it was during the purchase process on Ticketmaster's website that Egelko, 63, of Ventura, encountered something unexpected.

A fast-moving wildfire in Santa Barbara County forced more than 1,000 campers to cut their holiday revelry short and evacuate Los Padres National Forest, officials said. About 125 residents were also asked to flee the White fire, which flared up in the mountains about 12 miles north of Santa Barbara on Monday afternoon. By early evening, the fire had grown to about 700 acres. No one was injured in the evacuation, and U.S. Forest Service spokesman Andrew Madsen said no houses burned and residents were expected to be able to return home late Monday after the fire burned through.

Just 11 months into his job as a Los Angeles police officer, Sergio Arreola had a choice to make: resign or be fired. The day before, April 11, 2012, he had been handcuffed and booked by Pomona police for allegedly assaulting them during a traffic accident investigation and resisting arrest. Arreola's captain had issued the ultimatum after getting word of the incident from Pomona officials. The 25-year-old Marine veteran, who had dreamed about becoming an LAPD cop, felt his world crumbling around him. For a moment, the young officer considered resigning.

More than 1,000 campers and up to 4,000 residents fled the mountains of Santa Barbara County as a fast-moving wildfire swept through part of Los Padres National Forest and surrounding areas, officials said. The White fire broke out about 2:45 p.m. Monday in the rugged terrain about 12 miles north of Santa Barbara and by evening had grown to about 1,000 acres and blanketed the tourist city with smoke and a dusting of ashes. No homes had burned but up to 5,000 people were ordered to evacuate before the fire changed course and headed toward unpopulated terrain, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Andrew Madsen.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Sixteen children and a teacher were killed Saturday when their school van burst into flames in eastern Pakistan, apparently due to a short circuit. President Asif Ali Zardari expressed "deep shock" over the tragedy and ordered authorities to investigate the incident. Pakistani media quoted police officials as saying the van was moving through eastern Punjab province when a short circuit ignited gasoline leaking from the fuel tank. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the van was carrying 24 children.