“It’s got to be boots on the ground to make sure that fire’s out”, he said.
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Hundreds of firefighters worked through the night to gain control over the Calabasas fire that damaged one home and forced 5,000 people to evacuate their homes.
The fire, which is believed to have been sparked Saturday after a truck struck a utility pole, had scorched 516 acres and was 30 percent contained Sunday, according to fire officials.
Los Angeles County fire officials said at a briefing that evacuees from nearby Topanga would be allowed to return starting at 6 p.m.
Firefighters used water-dropping aircraft to attack the eastern and southern flanks, keeping the blaze at just over 500 acres.
Residents of Calabasas were being allowed back into their homes, many of which were without electricity.
Residents driven from their homes have now been cleared to return.
The fire destroyed one commercial building, Tripp said.
He said about 200 homes and some 500 people were under mandatory evacuation over the weekend but had others were strongly urged to leave the area, where flames up to 50 feet high rolled along ridgetops and torched trees right next to million-dollar homes. The fire flared as Southern California sweltered under temperatures that hit the 90s in many places.
Temperatures on Sunday hovered in the mid-80s – down from more than 100 degrees a day earlier. The smoke could be seen across the region, and a dusting of ash rained down on neighborhoods more than 30 miles away.
Evacuation orders were set to be lifted Sunday evening in the hills in Topanga Canyon, a rustic stretch famous for its resident artists and musicians that rolls down to the Pacific Ocean.
To the southeast, a smoky wildfire burning in Riverside County was 30 percent contained Sunday. No structures were threatened.
To the north in Monterey County, a wildfire that has charred 3,500 acres of grass and brush in the Los Padres National Forest has prompted some evacuations and is threatening structures.
Tripp said the main concern for the 400 firefighters battling the blaze was the east and south portions of the fire, which were eating up “extremely rugged terrain” that is hard to access.
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Firefighters approach a brush fire in the foothills outside of Calabasas, Calif. on Saturday, June 4, 2016.
