Southern California Wildfire 73% Contained, Firefighters Transition to 'Mop-Up Phase'

Most evacuation orders have been lifted, officials said.

ByABC News

August 21, 2016, 3:25 AM

A San Bernardino Fire Department firefighter works with a cadaver dog searching the ruins for anyone who may have been overrun by the flames of a wildfire along State Route 138, in Phelan, Calif. No deaths have been reported in the fire east of Los Angeles and the cause of the fire was under investigation. Crews continued to sift through burned regions to tally the damage. The information collected by damage assessment teams is useful for the fire's incident command, local offices of emergency services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance companies. ()
Louis Penna/San Bernardino County Fire Department via AP

 -- Firefighters battling the Blue Cut wildfire 60 miles east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County continue to make significant progress containing the blaze: It was 73 percent contained, with firefighters finally transitioning to the "mop-up phase," officials announced Saturday night.

Most evacuation orders were lifted Friday, when firefighters made huge gains against the Blue Cut blaze, but some orders remain in place. "Things are extremely positive," said Brad Pitassi, a spokesman for the multi-agency fire command, adding that officials expects more residents to return home Sunday.

At the height of the fire, some 82,000 people were under evacuation orders.

PHOTO: Following a wildfire, a melted McDonald's sign stands outside a restaurant in Cajon Junction, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016 — Following a wildfire, a melted McDonald's sign stands outside a restaurant in Cajon Junction, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Scenes of destruction were everywhere Thursday after a huge wildfire sped through mountains and high desert 60 miles east of Los Angeles so swiftly that it took seasoned firefighters off guard.
AP Photo/Noah Berger

The 58-square-mile wildfire has so far left behind a devastating trail: At least 105 residences and 213 other buildings have been destroyed in the fire, which began last Tuesday morning. San Bernardino County Fire Department marshal Mike Horton said those figures may increase as damage assessment teams continue to tour the area.

Horton -- who operates from a mobile command center just south of the blaze -- leads a team of 15 investigators, technicians, hazardous materials experts and others responsible for determining the extent and nature of the damage.

"We come in right on the heels of the fire," he told The AP. "Once it's cool enough, we go parcel-by-parcel."

PHOTO: A chimney stands amid rubble at a house scorched by a wildfire in Phelan, Calif., Friday, Aug. 19, 2016. — A chimney stands amid rubble at a house scorched by a wildfire in Phelan, Calif., Friday, Aug. 19, 2016. Thousands of residents chased from their mountain and desert homes were slowly beginning to take stock of their losses as the preliminary damage assessment was released for the blaze that erupted Tuesday in drought-parched canyons 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Noah Berger

Before residents return home, they may view damage assessment reports available online, via phone recordings and on postings at evacuation centers. Maps are color-coded with red areas signifying "complete damage," orange describing damage between 40 and 75 percent, yellow showing damage of less than 40 percent and green meaning no damage.

"Green, you're in good shape," Horton said. "Any other color and you should be concerned."