Two big Calif.
wildfires merge
![July 15, 2006 featured image](https://pioneertownsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/july-15-2006-pittsburgh-post-gazette-fi.jpg)
Thousands of firefighters aided by aircraft yesterday worked in fierce heat to keep two big wildfires from gaining a foothold in the heavily populated San Bernardino Mountains, where millions of trees killed by drought and bark beetles could provide explosive fuel.