SAN DIEGO  — Firefighters wrestling with the massive wildfires in Southern California got a little help Thursday as cooler weather and drizzle rolled into the area.

They had been pinning their hopes on forecasts of rain and a dip in temperatures to aid in the effort to quell the flames, which have wreaked havoc on the southern part of the state and neighboring Mexico.

"It is helping, but it is a long way from putting any fires out," said Ray Snodgrass, chief deputy director of the California Forestry Department (search). "It's the respite we were hoping for."

The forecast, however, also called for gusting winds that could drive the flames into more homes.

The wildfires so far have claimed 20 lives, including that of a firefighter. In San Diego County, the state's largest blaze caught a firefighting crew, killing Steven Rucker, 38, and injuring three others.

"It just swept right over them. They probably didn't have time to get out of the way," San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Conrad Grayson said.

Deputy Chief Dan Northern fought back tears as he described Rucker as a hard worker who volunteered to fight the fire that killed him. "He wasn't sent there," Northern said. "He asked to go."

Officials in San Diego County — where most of the deaths took place — predicted the death toll would rise after investigators scoured devastated neighborhoods. On Wednesday, two people were found dead on an Indian reservation near San Diego as the result of the fires.

U.S. Forest Service Hot Shots (search) outside Julian were told that if they came across any human remains, they were to cordon off the area until a medical examiner could get in.

"If we find somebody in the brush who took off running or whatever," Capt. Fred Brewster told his 19-member team. "Who knows what you're going to find up there? It's a giant mess."

• Photo Essay: Ring of Fire Surrounds Southern California

The fires have burned in a broken arc across Southern California, from Ventura County east to Los Angeles County and the San Bernardino Mountains and south to San Diego County.

So far, the fires have destroyed 2,600 homes and burned more than 660,000 acres — about 1,030 square miles, or roughly the size of Rhode Island.

More than 12,000 firefighters and support crew were fighting what Gov. Gray Davis (search) said may be the worst and costliest disaster California has ever faced.

The state is spending an estimated $9 million a day fighting the wildfires; the total cost could reach $200 million, while the blazes take a $2 billion toll on the California economy, state officials said.

'It's Like Trying to Control Chaos'

In the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, the hot, dry desert Santa Ana winds (search) that had been whipping the fires into raging infernos eased Wednesday. But they gave way Thursday to 60-mph winds off the ocean that pushed the flames up the canyon walls around evacuated mountain enclaves like Lake Arrowhead (search) and Big Bear in Southern California.

The wind kept aircraft grounded in the area, further hindering firefighting efforts.

"They turned around with the wind and the fuel and basically overran us," said San Bernardino County Fire Division Chief Mike Conrad.

"It's like trying to control chaos," fire Engineer Brian Janey of the Camp Pendleton Fire Department added as he battled the so-called Old Fire, which claimed about 350 homes in and around Cedar Glen, one of the communities in the mountains.

A heavy fog covered parts of the San Bernardino Mountains overnight, and some light rain was reported. Temperatures were expected to peak only in the mid-50s on Thursday.

"So that's the good news, but there is a red flag warning for high winds up to 40 mph," said Bonni Corcoran, a fire information officer.

By early Wednesday afternoon, homes were burning in the mountain community of Cedar Pines Park. The flames were expected to hit the town of Running Springs after crews weren't able to set backfires along a highway to protect it. Fires also swept over mountaintops, forcing evacuations in parts of the high desert town of Hesperia.

"There's fire on so many fronts, it's not even manageable at this point," said Chris Cade, a fire prevention technician with the U.S. Forest Service (search). "I am at a loss what you can do about it."

Some two dozen engines and water tenders heading to the historic town of Julian were forced to turn back when flames swept over a highway. Winds caused floating embers to create spot fires near the region of 3,500 renowned for its vineyards and apple orchards.

Firefighters feared that the narrow roads and sheer number of dead trees, ravaged by drought and a bark beetle infestation, could make it impossible to protect some of the smaller communities.

"It would be suicide to put anyone in there," Conrad said.

Although about 80,000 full-time residents of the San Bernardinos loaded their vehicles with couches, televisions and other household items and inched down the mountain Wednesday, others decided to stay.

"I'm afraid, but I've got a lot of faith," said Chrisann Maurer as she watered down her yard and home amid smoke-filled winds. "I just think there is enough people praying that we might be safe."

Mark Peterson, a firefighter with the Big Bear Lake Fire Department, said the fire was moving toward Big Bear rapidly and called those who refused to leave "crazy."

On Tuesday, arson investigators circulated a sketch of a man who was seen with another man throwing flaming objects from a van in the area of the Old Fire.

Fear of Two Fires Becoming One Big Blaze

San Diego County fire officials have worried for days that the 250,000-acre Cedar Fire and the 49,800-acre Paradise Fire would merge into a huge blaze that would make it nearly impossible to keep it from reaching Julian.

Firefighters were able to prevent the Paradise Fire from crossing Highway 76 overnight into Thursday, which kept it from reaching Palomar Mountain, state Department of Forestry spokesman Kathleen Schori said Thursday.

About 90 percent of the homes had been destroyed in Cuyamaca, a lakeside town of about 160 residents east of San Diego. Charred cows lay by the side of the road and houses were reduced to little more than stone entryways.

"Everything's kind of happening all at once. These fires are trying really hard to tie in with each other," said Bill Bourbeau, a forest safety officer for the Cleveland National Forest (search). "It's tremendous."