At least a thousand Wrightwood residents were allowed home by noon on Saturday as crews made huge gains against a massive wildfire in Southern California.
At least 105 homes were destroyed in the so-called Blue Cut Fire.
The blaze was 73 percent contained as of Saturday evening, and firefighters were transitioning to mop-up phase, according to fire spokesman Brad Pitassi.
"Things are extremely positive. We're checking for additional hot spots that could potentially jump the line," said Pitassi, adding that officials expect more progress and more residents returning home throughout the weekend.
The communities of Lytle Creek Canyon and West Cajon Valley remained under mandatory evacuation orders. The majority of those evacuated were allowed to return Friday evening. At the height of the fire, some 82,000 people were under evacuation orders.
A preliminary assessment found 96 homes and 213 outbuildings were destroyed by the blaze, most of them in its first fierce days on Tuesday and Wednesday.
More damage might still be discovered as firefighters pore through the aftermath of the fire that had burned 58 square miles about 60 miles east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County.
The northbound and southbound I-15 was open through the Cajon Pass. Officials asked residents to exercise extreme caution as crews were still working along the road. The ramps at Kenwood Avenue and Cleghorn Road remained closed.
- Road and highway closures were still in effect for the following areas:
- Highway 138 closed from Interstate 15 to Beekley Road
- State Route 2 closed from LA County Line to Route 138
- Old Cajon Boulevard north of Devore
- Lytle Creek Road at Glen Helen Parkway
- Lone Pine Canyon Road from East Canyon Drive through Highway 138
- Swarthout Canyon Road to Cajon Boulevard
Johanna Santore was among those left homeless. She was running an errand Tuesday when the fire charged through her neighborhood. She tried to rush home to rescue the family's four dogs, six cats and hamster but was blocked by closed roads.
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A group of animal rescue volunteers found the house in smoldering ruins — with no signs of the pets.
"I'm actually feeling numb," said Santore, who fled with her husband and granddaughter to an evacuation center. "It's like a nightmare."
A prolonged drought has transformed swaths of California into tinderboxes, ready to ignite. Several other wildfires were burning in the state, including a blaze in rural Santa Barbara County that prompted the evacuation of a pair of campgrounds.
In the southern Sierra Nevada, another blaze feeding on dense timber in Sequoia National Forest forced the evacuation of several tiny hamlets.
Another blaze burned in Santa Barbara County and forced the evacuation of a pair of campgrounds during the height of the summer season.
In mountains north of San Francisco, a 6-square-mile blaze was 80 percent contained after destroying 300 structures, including 189 homes and eight businesses, in the working-class community of Lower Lake. All evacuation orders have been canceled.
No deaths have been reported in the fire east of Los Angeles and the cause of the fire was under investigation. Crews continued to sift through burned regions to tally the damage.
The Santores weren't as lucky. Volunteers who drove to their house found a moonscape. Some of the neighbors' homes were still standing, seemingly intact.
Before the fire roared through, Johanna Santore had redecorated her granddaughter's room in a zebra pattern and added a loft bed.
"We don't plan on rebuilding," she said. "We plan on leaving."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
