Blue Cut Fire evacuees returning to their homes

Friday, Don Griffiths and his dog Maggie returned to their house in Wrightwood.

A place he has called home for more than four decades.

“Well when we have snow it’s beautiful,” Griffiths said. “It’s beautiful in the summer time. It’s mountains. It’s clean air. It’s good living. People are good. A good place to live.”

Griffiths said he’s happy to be back in the neighborhood, after having to leave the place where he grew up evacuating from the Blue Cut Fire.

“It was pretty calm,” Griffiths said. “We waited until the Sheriff’s [Department] came around. Everybody had a plan, where they were leaving [and] where they were going to. We staggered. We were probably one of the last to leave.”

But throughout the week, Griffiths and other residents worried whether they’d have a home to come back to, with a blaze burning tens of thousands of acres, and destroying nearly 100 homes in a matter of days.

“It’s been hard not knowing if your house is still there,” Griffiths said. “All we worried about was that our kids and everything were out. That’s all that mattered.”

While some properties may have been left untouched, the fire has ripped through and burned many properties throughout San Bernardino County.

One example is parts of the historic Clyde Ranch, once home to famous lawman Wyatt Earp, located off of Highway 2.

Losses Griffiths said that are hard to take in, as others attempt to move on.

“That’s it. People have lost their homes,” Griffiths said. “Nobody has lost a life yet, so you can rebuild. That’s all you can do.”

Friday, fire crews said their main areas of focus are around Wrightwood and Gobbler’s Knob near Lytle Creek.

As of Friday night, officials said the fire is 40% contained.

Stay tuned to KESQ/CBS Local 2 for the latest updates regarding the Blue Cut Fire.