[googlevideo]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2786786059639293312[/googlevideo]

EVIDENCE CLEARS BILLY JOEL, JAMES DEAN, JOE McCARTHY, BUDDY HOLLY, DORIS DAY, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

There were no reported injuries, but a dozen small structures, one business and an unknown number of homes and sheds were damaged over the weekend as wildfires tore through Horry County. And now authorities are trying to find the cause.

Investigators went to work Monday trying to figure out what ignited hundreds of weekend wildfires that chased some residents from churches and led others to seek them out for sanctuary.

The wind that had fanned the flames in the rain-starved Carolinas and Virginia had died down Monday. The earliest rain in the forecast for South Carolina was Tuesday.

Thousands of customers still had no electricity Monday because of damage caused by the fires and wind. [PAGE IVEY - AP]

Now, I’m not an “investigator,” but last I checked fire doesn’t just cause itself to happen. The only conceivable ways for a fire to start “naturally” are a lightning strike, intense heat from the sun or some animal’s spontaneous combustion. It was in the 60’s with clear skies yesterday, and most people who believe in spontaneous combustion have also seen UFO’s and believe the CIA killed John F. Kennedy, so I’m going to save the “investigators” some time and predict that this fire was somehow started by some human act. Just a “wild” guess, though.

To see the AP video, go here.