Evacuees return, but Sand Fire rages
Crews took advantage of calmer winds and cooler temperatures overnight as they set backfires to curb the spread of a massive wildfire northwest of Los Angeles.
Most of the roughly 20,000 evacuees forced out by the blaze were cleared to go home Monday, but firefighters still have a huge job ahead. The fire, which has chewed through about 55 square miles of tinder-dry brush, is only partially contained.
Residents of two neighborhoods still under threat remain out of their homes.
Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp says firefighters saved about 2,000 houses in the fire’s first three days.
Some 300 miles to the northwest, crews made gains Monday against a blaze in the scenic Big Sur region of the Central Coast that destroyed 20 homes.
