John Tripp, County Fire Department Deputy Chief of Los Angeles said Sunday morning the blaze was still ery large to contain on the east and south side because it was up on a mid-slope of the canyon, making it extremely unsafe to do a direct attack.
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Officials say the fire near the wealthy and semi-rural enclave of Calabasas is 75 percent contained Sunday afternoon – up from 30 percent at daybreak.
All evacuations have been called off for homes in the hills northwest of Los Angeles after a day of major progress on a wildfire.
About 5,000 people from 3,700 homes had been ordered evacuated Saturday from homes in Calabasas and Topanga Canyon.
“We’re proud of the people in Calabasas for having good brush clearance [around their homes]”.
Officials said the blaze was actually three fires beginning Saturday afternoon, that merged into one large fire.
The fire erupted in late afternoon in tinder-dry brush as temperatures soared to almost 100 degrees in the canyons and ridges northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The fire officials said that fire forced mandatory evacuations in the Eddingham, Highlands and Adamsville neighborhoods. Other buildings, including some at a city park, also sustained damages.
The fire was about 80 percent contained by Monday morning, and evacuation orders have been lifted.
The fire came right up to the edges of Calabasas High School and Viewpoint School, which said on its website that it would close all of its Saturday campus events.
It was just one of several fires burning in Southern California at the weekend. The blaze has ignited trees and brush within yards of million-dollar homes – the L.A. suburb is noted for its wealthy residents, gated neighborhoods and celebrity sightings.
About 90 horses that had been sheltered at Pierce College in Woodland Hills also were in the process of being returned to their homes.
Hot, dry conditions led to spot fires that had crews scrambling, but officials were encouraged by more favorable weather conditions Sunday, Tripp said.
Approximately 400 firefighters continue to fight the blaze and though it is now 5 percent contained, the fire is actually expected to flare up again.
Three firefighters received minor injuries while fighting the blaze.
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To the southeast, a smoky wildfire burning in Riverside County was 65 percent contained Sunday. The blaze that broke out a day earlier along Interstate 15 in Temecula charred about 0.2 square mile of dry brush.
