Firefighters backed by water-dropping helicopters made progress Tuesday against two massive wildfires near Los Angeles, which have so far destroyed dozens of homes and led to two deaths.
The fierce desert winds that stoked the flames in rugged areas of the San Fernando Valley Sunday and Monday also began to subside on Tuesday.
The larger of the two fires doubled in size Monday night to about 40 square kilometres, but thanks to an aggressive air assault early Tuesday, the fire was pushed back from a collection of nearby homes, officials said.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday the firefighters had done an admirable job in battling the blazes.
"I'm very, very proud of the firefighters, because yesterday when we talked ... it looked really bad," Schwarzenegger told reporters.
"They've turned this whole thing around."
Earlier, Schwarzenegger had announced a state of emergency in California.
The blaze has burned through 19 buildings and is being blamed for one traffic fatality.
A man died in a four-vehicle crash on Highway 118 as firefighters redirected motorists away from the blaze, which crept toward the road.
A second fire, meanwhile, was about 70 per cent contained Tuesday evening and many of the 1,800 residents who were evacuated from their homes on Sunday and Monday were returning.
Still, plumes of smoke and thick ash could pose a health risk for people with breathing problems, officials warned.
Other evacuees wondered when they would be able to return home.
"From my front yard, I could barely see anything today," said Nancy Atalla, 37, who was staying at a church which was converted into an emergency shelter.
"I could see the fire on the east a little. It was very scary," she told The Associated Press.
Judith Arner, who is 67, said she and her 74-year-old husband were just glad to be out of harm's way.
"I packed all our (photo) albums last night, and as soon as I got called to leave at 4 a.m. today, I grabbed them and we left," she told AP.
That blaze has consumed an area of about 19 square kilometres, and on Monday, a man who appeared living in a makeshift shelter was found dead in the area.
Meanwhile, a wildfire in San Diego County that began on an explosives training range at Camp Pendleton had consumed about 3,000 acres.
Officials said that fire was about 25 per cent contained Tuesday evening.
Earlier, a reverse 911 phone system advised residents of the evacuation order, while sheriff's deputies also went door-to-door, Yvette Urrea Moe, a spokeswoman for San Diego County Office of Emergency Services, told AP.
The Santa Ana winds blow through the Southern California canyons and valleys between October and February.
Their strong gusts wreak havoc on fires, spreading them rapidly and making them difficult to contain.
With files from The Associated Press
