All Blue Cut Fire evacuations lifted, blaze now 83 percent contained

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Monday, August 22, 2016
A chimney stands amid rubble at a house scorched by a wildfire in Phelan, Calif., Friday, Aug. 19, 2016.
kgo-AP Photo/Noah Berger

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- As firefighters continued to gain control of the massive Blue Cut Fire, authorities announced all evacuation orders have been lifted Sunday afternoon.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said as of 4 p.m. Sunday, evacuation orders for all communities affected by the Blue Cut Fire were lifted.

The 37,020-acre blaze raced through the San Bernardino National Forest and destroyed 105 single-family homes and 213 buildings.

Hundreds of thousands of residents in several communities were under evacuation orders since the raging fire started Tuesday along the Cajon Pass.

A map shows the location of the Blue Cut Fire, which has burned thousands of acre around the Cajon Pass.

San Bernardino National Forest officials said the fire did not grow overnight, but 1,782 personnel continued the firefight and clean up through Sunday.

Both sides of the 15 Freeway were open through the Cajon Pass, however, San Bernardino County fire officials urged residents to be cautious as crews worked along the road.

All ramps at Kenwood Avenue and Cleghorn Road were still shut down, officials said.

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A burned out residence stands amid rubble on Highway 138 after the Blue Cut Fire burned through Phelan, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016.
AP Photo/Noah Berger

Evacuation centers for residents and animals remained open, and the cause of the blaze was still unknown, officials said.