Photo Gallery: Calif. Wildfires Continue to Rage

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 15 -- Wind-whipped wildfires continued to burn through Southern California on Tuesday after scorching nearly 27,000 acres statewide, claiming two lives and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

The worst of the three major blazes is a heavy brush fire speeding along the steep, dry terrain at Browns Canyon, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Sesnon fire, which started Monday, nearly doubled overnight to 10,000 acres, forcing the evacuations of more than 2,000 homes.