An 8,000-acre wind-driven brush fire that destroyed several houses and structures through several Orange County cities was 40 percent contained Tuesday night, and thousands of residents forced to flee were relieved to return home.
The vegetation fire, dubbed the Canyon Fire 2, prompted the evacuations of more than 5,000 homes in Anaheim Hills, Orange, Orange Park Acres and Tustin on Monday. It also triggered hourslong freeway closures. The evacuation orders for Anaheim were lifted by 7 p.m., and many evacuation orders in Tustin and Orange were lifted at 5 p.m.
From treasured family heirlooms to boxes of important papers, returning residents unpacked after being forced to flee.