2 People Confirmed Killed In Southern California Wildfires As Thousands Of Evacuees Return Home
(CNN) -- Two people have been killed in wildfires in Southern California, authorities said Saturday.
As firefighters continued to battle multiple blazes in the region, tens of thousands of evacuees were cleared to return home.
The Sandalwood Fire in Calimesa, some 70 miles east of Los Angeles, has killed an 89-year-old woman in a mobile home, and another person who has not yet been identified, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.
The fire, which started as a trash fire that spread to vegetation, has destroyed at least 90 structures since it began Thursday, fire officials said. It has burned more than 820 acres and was at least 25% contained as of Saturday.
In Los Angeles, all evacuation orders were lifted Saturday after the Saddleridge Fire -- the largest of the fires currently burning in Southern California -- moved away from neighborhoods and into hillsides.
The blaze remained 19% contained as the strong Santa Ana winds appeared to have given firefighters a break on Saturday.
The fire has destroyed 31 homes and burned more than 7,500 acres, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
As tens of thousands of evacuees returned, Monica Silver and her family found their home completely charred. Her friends started fundraising to help them and her children's teachers offered to buy backpacks and school books.
"We feel loved, we feel very loved," Silver said.
Firefighters were planning to continue using air tanks to ensure the fire does not breach containment lines on Saturday, the fire department said.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District was telling residents to protect themselves from heavy smoke and unhealthy air conditions.