SAN DIEGO — Firefighters aided by damp weather made progress against the last of Southern California’s big wildfires Monday, hoping to squelch the remaining flames before the possible return of Santa Ana winds this week.
There was a chance of weak-to-moderate Santa Anas on Friday and Saturday, but the National Weather Service said wind speeds should be “half or less” than those of the dry, withering blasts that fanned conflagrations last week.
The 58,401-acre Ranch Fire northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County was fully contained during the night, and crews were pushing to complete lines around six other big blazes. Containment estimates on those fires ranged from 65 percent to 95 percent Monday.
“It’s a little premature to be celebrating, that’s for sure,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Fred Daskoski said earlier. “We’re looking for full control within a week but if we get any of these winds returning, there is a possibility that a couple of spots could have a blowout, and then we’d be off to the races again.”
The state Office of Emergency Services damage tally rose Monday to 2,786 structures destroyed, including more than 2,000 homes. Seven deaths were directly attributed to the fires.
Nearly all mandatory evacuation orders had been lifted. The Red Cross reported 389 people still in 11 shelters.
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