Firefighters Near Full Containment on Four Southern California Wildfires

Firefighters are nearing full containment on four major wildfires that burned nearly 23,000 acres across Southern California, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate over the past week.

The largest of the blazes, the Santa Rosa Island Fire in Channel Islands National Park, has burned 18,379 acres of rare vegetation and is now 97% contained. The fire, which began on May 15, destroyed at least three historic buildings but spared the island's rare Torrey pines. While the cause remains under investigation, officials confirmed the fire was human-caused, and the U.S. Coast Guard said it may have been started by someone who crashed a boat into the island on the day the fire ignited.

In Simi Valley, the Sandy Fire is 90% contained after burning 2,183 acres. Police said the fire was sparked when a tractor hit a rock, quickly spreading through dry terrain and destroying one home while damaging two other structures. All evacuation orders for the area have since been lifted.

Two blazes in Riverside County are also nearing containment. The Bain Fire in Jurupa Valley is 95% contained after burning 1,473 acres, destroying one structure, and damaging five others. One firefighter was injured, and sheriff's deputies arrested a man for illegally flying a drone over the burn zone. Nearby, the Verona Fire near Hemet is also 95% contained after burning 638 acres and destroying five structures.