Evacuation orders have been lifted for tens of thousands of people in the Western U.S. state of California as firefighters continue to make progress in bringing wildfires across the state under control.
Officials with the state fire agency, Cal Fire, said Friday that in the past two days at least 50,000 people were allowed return home in the San Francisco Bay area and nearby wine country.
Hundreds of fires have raged across California this month killing at least seven people and burning thousands of square kilometers during a historic heat wave.
Much of the destruction was caused by three groups of fires that burned forest and rural areas in the northern part of the state.
Another blaze swept through parts of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties while in central Tulare County, a blaze burned in Sequoia National Forest.
The fires came months earlier in the season than expected, sparked by soaring temperatures and dry air. When the heat wave eased this week, more humid temperatures help to slow the spread of the fires.
Firefighters say a large blaze east of San Francisco is 35% contained, as is a fire in the wine counties of Napa and Sonoma. Crews are working to restore water and electricity in the hardest hit areas so more residents can return home.
More than 12,000 firefighters from California and 10 other U.S. states have been battling the blazes.
