SAN DIEGO -- As the worst of the Southern California wildfires are dying down, many residents lucky enough to find their homes intact are likely to still face hardships for weeks to come.

Those hardships include such things as polluted air, no electricity and no drinking water.

Many of the burned-over areas have downed power lines and the smoke and ash from the blazes could irritate people's lungs as long as the wildfires keep burning.

Randy and Aimee Powers returned to their home in Ramona, Calif., in San Diego County on Friday, to discover their home had no electricity or water. Fire crews had drained the town's reservoir to fight the flames.

"It's better to be at home. We're going to stick it out and do whatever we have to do up here to survive. We'll make it through," said Randy Powers, who joined a half-mile-long car caravan on Ramona's Aqua Lane.

Aircraft Was Grounded

An Associated Press investigation has found that nearly two dozen water-dropping helicopters and two cargo planes sat idle as Southern California's wildfires began to spread last weekend.

The first fires started about midnight Saturday and first requests for air support from firefighters on the ground came Sunday afternoon.

California rules require that a state forestry "fire spotter" accompany each military or National Guard helicopter to coordinate water and retardant drops.

The spotters are given 24 hours to report for duty, and by the time they did, high winds had made it too dangerous to fly. The helicopters finally got off the ground Tuesday.

Republican U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrbacher called that "inexcusable foot-dragging."

But state officials are rejecting the notion they were unprepared. They said they had more than 20 aircraft ready to go ahead of time, but said conditions gave them "very little opportunity" to fly.

Nine Fires Still Rage

While there were more signs of progress against Southern California's wildfires Friday, several continue to burn out of control.

One massive blaze in San Diego County has reached the crest of Palomar Mountain and is threatening the landmark observatory there. Fire officials said crews have been clearing brush and lighting back burns to halt the fire's progress. The Palomar Observatory was home to the world's largest telescope when it opened 59 years ago.

Meanwhile the Witch Fire is churning toward the town of Julian. Its 3,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate. The fire has already destroyed more than 1,000 homes. Firefighters are concerned that winds will speed it uphill toward the town.

East of San Diego, fire crews are working to keep flames from hundreds of homes surrounding Lake Morena.

One official said until every individual fire is surrounded, "there's a potential of them blowing out anywhere." At least nine active fires of 1,000 acres or more continue to burn in San Diego and San Bernadino counties.

Schwarzenegger Sees Marathon Recovery

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the state won't let-up until California areas devastated by wildfires are back to normal. But he said that will not happen overnight.

He said the relief effort has been at a sprint the first week but the next phase will be a marathon with a stress on follow-through.

At a news conference, the governor said price-gougers and shady contractors will be severely punished.

Even with fires dying down, residents whose homes survived may face polluted air, power failure and no drinking water.

Stadium Shelter Prepares To Close

The last of the wildfire evacuees who sought shelter in San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium are leaving Friday.

The NFL stadium housed as many as 10,000 displaced residents throughout the week. It will close later in the day.

Still undecided is whether the San Diego Chargers will play their home game against the Houston Texans at the stadium on Sunday. The mayor said the stadium should be ready but indicated the decision will be left up to the NFL and the team.

While some San Diego residents who have trickled back into their neighborhoods have homes to return to, others haven't been so lucky. Officials have opened assistance centers in the hardest-hit communities.

In some areas, anxiety has escalated in anger and in one incident, authorities said residents ran a car into a law enforcement vehicle.

Meanwhile, officials have found six bodies charred by the flames.

Border Patrol agents found four bodies in a wooded area just east of San Diego. The area is near a major corridor for illegal immigrants.

If the fire actually caused those deaths, it would mean seven people have died in the flames that have consumed about 760 square miles and at least 1,800 homes since the weekend.

Chargers Will Play Sunday At Qualcomm

Qualcomm Stadium will be ready for NFL Football by this weekend, according to the mayor's office.

The City will be able to provide sufficient public safety personnel to manage a professional football game without impeding ongoing wildfire recovery efforts. Mayor Sanders informed the Chargers late Thursday that, should they decide to play their game at Qualcomm this weekend, the Stadium will be ready.

Early Friday morning the Chargers informed the mayor that the NFL has decided to play Sunday's game as scheduled.

The Chargers and the Houston Texans will kick off Sunday at 1:00 p.m.