US: A second group of residents forced to flee their houses near southern California's bush fires were being allowed to return home yesterday.
A weekend of cooler, calmer weather has helped firefighters begin to bring the fires under control. As the threat started to recede, authorities also began to make plans to send home some of the thousands of firefighters battling blazes from San Diego County to the suburbs of Los Angeles.
Some evacuees were given the go-ahead yesterday to check on their homes. Among them were Ms JoDee Ewing and her husband, Steve, who found little standing of their 1920s-era house but the stone chimney, the foundation and their rose bushes.
"I still have roses blooming," said Ms Ewing (40). "But there's no toilets. They disintegrated."
The fire that started on October 25th on the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest has so far consumed 91,285 acres. In the last week, that blaze, plus half a dozen others across southern California, have burned about 750,000 acres, destroying nearly 3,400 homes and killing 20 people.
In San Bernardino County, some firefighters were beginning to head home, said US Forest Service spokesman Mr Bob Narus. In San Diego County, firefighters were expected to begin leaving after spending a few hours resting, said California Department of Forestry spokeswoman Ms Barbara Daskoski.
Although fog, lower temperatures and even snow helped to slow the spreading flames, more than 12,000 firefighters were still on duty early yesterday.
The fire that destroyed the Ewings' house was finally put out yesterday. Residents of nearby Big Bear Valley were given the go-ahead to return this morning.
Authorities say an arsonist started that particular fire, but despite a reward of around $75,000 and the distribution of a composite sketch, the arsonist has not been caught. Firefighters across the region took advantage of the weather to build firebreaks near communities that could be threatened again next week with the expected return of hot Santa Ana winds.