The wildfires broke out during the weekend after the Santa Ana winds began to blow and have blackened nearly 800 square miles (2,072 sq km), and injured more than 60 people, many of them firefighters.
'RE-ENTRY DAY'
San Diego County has suffered losses in excess of $1 billion, and three of the largest fires were still burning there, mostly in the eastern, less populated part of the county.
"This is going to be a re-entry day for many of the thousands of San Diegans that are out there," said Ron Lane, head of county emergency services. "We are absolutely thrilled."
Fewer than 1,000 people spent the night at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, compared with some 10,000 on Monday and Tuesday. The good food, showers, acupuncture and massage at evacuees' disposal might have attracted chronically homeless street people.
"You see a lot of them walking around the parking lot," evacuee Jennifer Ryan said. "They know a good thing when they see it."
One of the most critical fires was in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, where containment of the 20,000-acre (8,094-hectare) Santiago fire suffered a setback overnight.
Authorities said federal agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms joined local authorities in investigating the Santiago fire as arson.
"Those are crime scenes," said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. He said a $70,000 reward was posted for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Three out of four of Los Angeles County's fires had 100 percent containment, including one in the celebrity enclave of Malibu that garnered much attention in the first days.
A risk modeling firm said insured fire losses from the fires would likely cost between $900 million and $1.6 billion.
