SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- More mandatory evacuation orders were lifted Sunday for residents affected by a California wildfire that drove thousands from their homes.
Nearly all 82,000 people ordered to leave their properties Tuesday when the fire broke out 60 miles east of Los Angeles have now been permitted to return.
Most, but not all, of those residents are returning to find their homes intact. A preliminary damage assessment found 105 homes and 216 outbuildings destroyed across the rural, mountainous terrain where swaths of open terrain have been turned black.
"This fire did not go through a dense community, like some fires do," said Costa Dillon, a spokesman for crews fighting the California wildfire. "Almost all of this area is sparsely populated."
Residents in the Lytle Creek area were being allowed back to their homes with proof of residence, though a mandatory evacuation order remained for those near El Cajon Valley farther north. Some structures were destroyed in Lytle Creek, though the area escaped the heaviest damage.
Dillon said Sunday that the El Cajon Valley is "still the most active fire spot."
The once-fast moving and erratic blaze that burned nearly 58 square miles was 83 percent contained Sunday morning, up from 73 percent the evening before. Firefighters were going property to property in the areas most heavily hit to quell any lingering flames and hot spots.
"You don't want somebody to come back to a neighborhood where a fire could suddenly flare up on the property next door," Dillon said.
Fire officials briefed residents at an evacuation center Sunday morning at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, where about 15 residents remained. Dillon said the residents were "very pleased" to know the Lytle Creek area was open, and he said that those still under evacuation orders were being patient.
He said they understand that "the evacuation is still for their safety."
Johanna Santore, 63, learned Sunday that she, her husband and their 10-year-old granddaughter were among those still not permitted to return home.
The family's home and nearly all their belongings were destroyed in the blaze.
Santore said the family was "holding up," but that Saturday evening when everyone was asleep, she'd gone outside and cried thinking of the family's lost pets and mementos. The Santores were out running an errand when the fire broke out and were unable to return to save anything.
Four dogs, six cats and a hamster were left behind.
"What I'm hoping is someone stuck around hiding someplace," Santore said. "And if I start calling, they might recognize our voices."
In the meantime, she's begun looking into how to replace birth certificates, the deed to their house and other important documents they are unlikely to recover.
A prolonged drought has transformed swaths of California into tinderboxes, ready to ignite. Six other wildfires were burning in the state, including one in San Luis Obispo County that forced the closure of the historic Hearst Castle on Saturday. It remained closed Sunday.
That fire grew to nearly 38 square miles overnight into Sunday morning and remained 35 percent contained. County fire spokesman Jaime Garrett said the fire was growing in the opposite direction of the Hearst Castle. The castle is a popular tourist attraction and houses a large art collection that belonged to media magnate William Randolph Hearst.
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 hamlets.
In northern California, fire crews were gaining control Sunday of an arson fire that destroyed 189 homes. Officials said the 6-square-mile fire in Lower Lake was 95 percent contained.
Damin Pashilk of nearby Clearlake is charged with 14 counts of arson in connection with the Lower Lake blaze and 11 other fires dating back to July 2015.
A nearly monthlong blaze burning near California's scenic Big Sur is not expected to be fully contained until the end of September. Cal Fire said the fire has destroyed 57 homes and charred 133 square miles. It is 60 percent contained.
Information for this article was contributed by Olga Rodriguez of The Associated Press.
A Section on 08/22/2016