Firefighters gained the upper hand on Tuesday on the 4,500-acre wildfire that scorched Malibu near Los Angeles in the past three days.
The fire was declared 75 percent contained on Tuesday night, and about 500 firefighters were dispatched to other fires, authorities said.
No fire or smoke had been observed all day, John Tripp, the incident commander, said.
Pacific Coast Highway was reopened to all traffic at 6:20 p.m., but Malibu Canyon Road was still closed.
Almost all areas in Malibu have been reopened to residents, except for Rambla Pacifico, which includes Las Flores Canyon, Carbon Mesa and the Malibu Crest area.
About 1,400 firefighters had been combating the fire which may have been sparked by power lines felled by strong Santa Ana winds, officials said.
Gusts to 60 mph pushed the flames into canyons dotted with multimillion-dollar homes.
The fire injured three people, destroyed or damaged nearly two dozen homes and businesses and prompted hundreds of evacuations, authorities said.
Crews remained on the lookout for hot spots, authorities said, and full containment of the blaze was expected by Friday.
Elsewhere in Southern California, more than 10 wildfires were still raging, having killed at least six people, injuring more than 40 others and forced almost 1 million people to flee.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article