Crews continued to sift through burned regions to tally the damage.
Advertisement
On Saturday, fire teams focused their efforts on the communities of Lytle Creek and Wrightwood, finishing containment lines so that residents could return to their homes more quickly, said Lyn Sieliet, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.
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.
“Things are extremely positive”, said Pitassi, adding that officials expect more progress and more residents returning home throughout the weekend. The 37,020-acre blaze raced through the San Bernardino National Forest and destroyed 105 single-family homes and 213 buildings. Other fires still burning in California include the Chimney fire in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties, which has burned around 20,000 acres and forced the closure of historic Hearst Castle in San Simeon; the Rey fire in Santa Barbara County that burned more than 13,000 acres and is 10 percent contained; the Bird fire in San Joaquin County, which has burned almost 150 acres and is 95 percent contained; and the Soberanes fire in Monterey County, which has burned more than 80.000 acres and is 60 percent contained. Firefighters were going property-to-property in the areas most heavily hit.
The fire in San Luis Obispo county has destroyed 48 structures and burned more than 8,000 hectares since August 13 and is about four kilometers from from the popular tourist attraction that houses a large art collection that belonged to William Randolph Hearst.
Fire officials briefed residents at an evacuation centre Sunday morning at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, where about 15 residents remained.
A prolonged drought has transformed swaths of California into tinderboxes, ready to ignite.
The Hearst Castle in central California remains closed Sunday as a result of a wildfire burning in San Luis Obispo County. They remained closed Sunday.
Stephen Hearst, vice president and general manager of Hearst Western Properties, said that as of Sunday evening about 10,000 to 12,000 acres of the roughly 80,000-acre property had been burned.
He said they understand that “the evacuation is still for their safety”.
“We don’t plan on rebuilding”, said Johanna Santore, another resident.
Chambers could not provide additional details on that plan. It remained 35 per cent contained.
The roughly 3,000 people working to extinguish the blaze faced tough conditions Sunday, with temperatures in the mid-90s inland, low humidity and hard terrain with limited access.
Officials suspended tours of Hearst Castle due to poor air quality, according to a message on Twitter from the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
In rural Santa Barbara County, a 15-square-mile wildfire forced the evacuation of two campgrounds.
In the southern Sierra Nevada, another blaze feeding on dense timber in Sequoia National Forest forced the evacuation of several tiny hamlets.
Advertisement
The fire sparked Tuesday was 73 per cent contained and firefighters who were on the offensive for days were finally transitioning to mop-up phase, officials said. Cal Fire said the fire has destroyed 57 homes and charred 133 square miles.
