San Diego County fire evacuations lifted

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KABC) -- All fire evacuation orders have been lifted as firefighters gain the upper hand on the remaining of nearly a dozen blazes in San Diego County. All road closures were also lifted Sunday.

Four wildfires remain active, including three at Camp Pendleton. Firefighters were still checking for hot spots and working to prevent any new flare-ups by constructing containment lines.

Cocos Fire in San Marcos near containment

The so-called Cocos Fire, which hopscotched through San Marcos and neighboring Escondido, was about 85 percent contained Sunday morning after burning 2,436 acres. Firefighers in the San Marcos area expect to have it fully contained Sunday evening. The fire's activity had been limited to smoldering areas within its perimeter.

The Cocos Fire destroyed 39 single-family homes in San Marcos and the nearby unincorporated area. The fire's cost to date was estimated at $4.2 million.

Cal State San Marcos was evacuated shortly after the fire started and this weekend's commencement ceremonies have been pushed back a week, according to university officials.

3 Camp Pendleton fires remain active

Three fires have blackened nearly 22,000 acres on Camp Pendleton and Naval Weapons Station Fallbrook. The largest of the fires, the fast-moving Las Pulgas Fire, had burned about 15,000 acres since it erupted for unknown reasons about 3:15 p.m. Thursday near a sewage plant in the Las Pulgas area, but was 55 percent contained Sunday morning.

The so-called Tomahawk Fire, sparked on Naval Weapons Station Fallbrook at the eastern outskirts of Camp Pendleton at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday and later spread to the Marine base. It was 97 percent contained and had blackened about 5,400 acres as of Sunday morning.

The latest blaze at Camp Pendleton, dubbed the San Mateo Fire, began spreading just before 11:30 a.m. Friday near Basilone Road. It had grown to about 1,500 acres Sunday and was 80 percent contained, according to base officials.

Cool weather helps firefighters in San Diego County

Cooler temperatures and calmer winds have aided firefighters this weekend. The high temperatures subsided, and the gusty winds have turned into light ocean breezes, giving firefighters the upper hand.

Eleven large-scale wildfires fires erupted last week in San Diego County amid gusty winds, triple-digit temperatures and extremely dry ground cover. The fires have charred 39 square miles, destroyed at least 47 houses, and caused about $20 million worth of damage. A badly burned body was found in a transient camp, and one firefighter suffered heat exhaustion.

Investigators say it could take months to determine the exact cause of the fires.

Alberto Serrato, 57, pleaded not guilty Friday to an arson charge in connection with one of the smaller fires, but authorities say they don't believe he started it, just added brush to it.

California gearing up for bad wildfire season

Meantime, Gov. Jerry Brown spoke about the fires Sunday on ABC's "This Week," and warned that the state was gearing up for what could be one of the region's worst wildfire seasons.

"We already appropriated $600 million. We have 5,000 firefighters. We're going to need thousands more. And in the years to come, we're going to have to make very expensive investments," said Brown.

It's possible the state will need even more resources. According to three new studies, wildfire season is getting longer. The fires have also been getting bigger, with man-made climate change pegged as the likely culprit.

CNS and The Associated Press contributed to this report.