Raging wildlfires in California are being contained by firefighters after gusting winds of 130kph eased off in the last 24 hours.
However, smaller multiple blazes continue to keep fire crews busy, with more homes catching fire forcing residents to evacuate.
National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Burke said: "We'll continue to see a marked reduction through the weekend. I'd say this wind event is about over."
A fresh spate of wildfires roared to life yesterday destroying homes before the Santa Ana winds lost their punch overnight.
But a fresh brush fire broke out on South Mountain in Ventura County, consuming more than 4,000 acres and destroying some buildings.
Then several new wind-driven fires erupted on Thursday on the rugged slopes of the San Bernardino National Forest above the city of San Bernardino, barrelling downhill into the north end of town.
The so-called Hillside fire quickly devoured more than 200 acres of dry scrub and destroyed or damaged at least six homes before firefighters managed to keep the flames from advancing.
By the early afternoon, crews had managed to carve containment lines around 50% of the fire's perimeter. No injuries were reported, but evacuation orders remained in effect or nearly 500 homes, displacing about 1,300 residents.
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High winds fuel multiple new wildfires in California
Thousands ordered to flee fast-moving Los Angeles wildfire
Earlier in the week, a fire that erupted early near the Getty Center art museum in west Los Angeles, threatening thousands of homes in some of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods, was largely suppressed.
Residents were allowed to return to most of the 10,000 homes that had been ordered evacuated. The museum escaped damage but about a dozen dwellings were destroyed and two firefighters were injured.
About 48km to the northwest, a fire that raged to the edge of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Ventura County's Simi Valley on Wednesday was contained after threatening thousands of homes.
School closure update from @VenturaCOE due to #MariaFire
— Ventura County (@CountyVentura) November 1, 2019
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Debido al #IncendioMaria, estos distritos escolares del condado de Ventura estarán cerrados el viernes 1 de noviembre: Briggs, Hueneme, Mesa Union, Mupu, Distrito de Oxnard Union High School, Santa Clara y Santa Paula. https://t.co/xWtrzwnVQu
Some 26,000 residents were ordered to flee at the height of that blaze - dubbed the Easy fire - along with an unknown number of horses and other livestock in an area dotted with ranch properties. Firefighters managed to keep flames from damaging the Reagan Library compound.
High winds also left thousands of people in the region without electricity, either from downed power lines or from utilities selectively shutting off power to reduce the risk of wildfires being sparked by damaged wires.
Thank you, @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/B7WU0Idn0J
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 31, 2019
Wind damage to power lines was not the only danger. A 300-acre blaze in Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, ignited when a high-speed police pursuit of a stolen vehicle ended in the crash of the suspect's car early on Thursday.
