Morongo Valley Ca

Over the years, scientific films and National Geographic specials have inspired visitors to a small, out-of-the-way meerkat sanctuary here. One of the draws was a resident meerkat who served as the model for Timon in "The Lion King."

The hardy desert denizens of Morongo Valley have survived monsoonal rains, flash floods, ice storms and blistering Mojave Desert heat -- and that's just in the last few years. Now they can add a windblown wildfire that torched 3,022 acres and destroyed six homes and a barn Wednesday and Thursday.

Residents of a Morongo Valley neighborhood were startled Friday morning to find what appeared to be a Russian Scud missile on a truck parked on their street. California Highway Patrol officers determined that the missile, destined for an Air Force facility in Tonopah, Nev., was an inert shell used for training -- and not a threat.