Southern California wildfire forces evacuations
Five days after an explosive wildfire in Southern California drove thousands from their homes, authorities lifted all evacuation orders on Sunday to allow them to return.
About 82,000 people were ordered to leave their properties Tuesday when the fire broke out 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
Most of those residents are returning to find their homes intact, though not all. A preliminary damage assessment found 105 homes and 216 outbuildings destroyed across the rural, mountainous terrain where large swaths of open land have been turned black.
“This fire did not go through a dense community, like some fires do,” fire spokesman Costa Dillon said Sunday. “Almost all of this area is sparsely populated.”
The once-fast moving and erratic blaze that burned nearly 58 square miles was 85 percent contained. Firefighters were going property-to-property in the areas most heavily hit to quell any lingering flames and hot spots. (AP)
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