Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The annual jacaranda bloom in L.A. has come to signify the start of summer. (Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times) It was Alexis ...

The flames grew in a matter of seconds. Once the fire started at the bottom of the Christmas tree, it quickly spread upward — fueled by the dry branches. The tree hadn’t been watered in weeks. In less ...