CORONA, Calif. (AP) -- Firefighters drew closer Friday to surrounding blazes that charred nearly 29,000 acres of southern California brushlands and forest and signaled an ominous start to this year's fire season.
Evacuation orders were lifted for residents near two destructive blazes in Riverside County that burned more than 25,000 acres and damaged or destroyed dozens of structures in the inland region east of Los Angeles.
The fires were expected to be fully contained Friday morning after cooler temperatures provided a measure of relief.
``Morale was boosted when the cooler weather came in, absolutely,'' said Jim Boano of the California Department of Forestry. ``This early in the season, it's always nice to have any help we can get because it's going to be a long season.''
Last year's season lasted until February after catastrophic wildfires destroyed thousands of homes. This week's fires erupted as officials declared the wildfire season three weeks early because of dry weather and a tree-killing bark beetle infestation that has ravaged some forests.
In Riverside County, the nearly 16,500-acre Cerrito Fire that destroyed 14 residences near the northeastern Lake Elsinore area was nearly contained.
South of Temecula, the 8,900-acre Eagle Fire was 85 percent contained. The blaze destroyed 41 structures, including 14 homes.
In neighboring San Diego County, the 2,050-acre India Fire on the Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton was fully contained.
Firefighters also made headway on a fire burning in Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, in Los Padres National Forest. The 1,127-acre Cachuma Fire was 75 percent contained Thursday night.
``It's all about the weather,'' said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ed Linquist. ``The weather played into our hands, and the people on the ground took full advantage of it.''
Related:
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- AP: A Look at Southern California Wildfires
- Southern California Wildfires Force Evacuations
- California Fires Char More Than 8,000 Acres
- Thousands Evacuated in California Wildfire
- California Wildfires Prompt Evacuations
- San Diego Wildfire Burns Out Of Control
- Southern California Prepares for Fire Season
