Firefighters Gain Ground in Calif. Blazes

Last Updated at 1:45 p.m. EDT

Firefighters are gaining ground on two large Northern California wildfires, while hundreds of residents remain under evacuation orders in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Sierra Nevada foothills.

The fire in the Bonny Doon area of Santa Cruz County is now about 65 percent contained after burning 11 square miles. The progress allowed authorities to lift evacuation orders for about 2,000 residents Sunday, although another 500 are still being told to stay away.

To the northeast, a blaze in Yuba County is about 25 percent contained after burning more than 5 square miles. About 350 houses there remain under voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders.

In Southern California, most residents have been allowed back home near a massive forest fire east of Santa Maria. That blaze is now 75 percent contained.

CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports that though more of the fire has been contained, fire officials say it is likely to be the end of the month before it is completely extinguished.

Margaret Kliegel was at the fire command center in Davenport on Sunday afternoon dropping off bread and cookies for the fire crew when she learned she could return home. She left her house Thursday as the flames shot into the air three miles away.

"We've lived here for close to 40 years so you got all your mementos and family things, and you don't know if you'll have a home to go back to," Kliegel said. "Second time in 14 months that these guys have saved us."

The news wasn't as good for Bob McAuliffe, a carpenter who lives on a two-story home on Last Chance Road with his wife, chickens, dogs, cats and cockatiels. They all left under orders, and remained under mandatory evacuation for a third day.

"I'm just anxious to get home," he said.

Fire crews were unable to fight the blaze by air Sunday because of the heavy smoke, but made good progress on the ground along the western and southern ends of the wildfire, said Paul Provence, a state fire department engineer.

Crews reinforced the firefighting effort Sunday, totaling 2,165 firefighters.

Weather conditions overnight - cooler temperatures and increasing humidity - are expected to help the firefighting effort. But authorities remain vigilant, because the drought in much of the state has created dangerous conditions.