Thousands return home as fire containment improves

Over the past few days, firefighters have seized the upper hand on the CZU Complex fire west of Cupertino. Late Thursday they lifted evacuation orders for thousands, including some areas west of SR 17.

As of Friday morning, the fire was 26% contained, after having burned more than 82,000 acres. Marine layer fog and higher humidity levels overnight have helped firefighters make progress.

For information on the CZU fire, visit the San Mateo County site here, the Santa Cruz County site here, or the CAL FIRE CZU Twitter feed here. To see the current perimeter of the fire, click here.

To the east of the valley, the SCU Complex Fire continues burning but is now 35% contained. At 373,000 acres, it is one of the largest fires in state history.

Firefighters said they would be performing controlled burns through the day Friday to prevent further spread. They did warn that warm and dry conditions into Saturday remained a concern.

While the Cupertino and Morgan Hill evacuation centers have closed, the Milpitas Library site remains open.

For information on the SCU fire, visit the Santa Clara County site here or the CAL FIRE SCU Twitter feed here.