Several wildfires are burning in California. Among the largest near a populated area is the Canyon Fire, which covers 2,000 acres — or about three square miles — and affects communities in Orange and Riverside Counties in the southern part of the state.

The fire started on Monday in Cole Canyon, which cuts through those counties, and eventually led to the evacuation of about 1,000 people under mandatory orders. Early on Wednesday, those orders were lifted, allowing residents to return to their homes; some roads that had been closed were reopened, as about 20 percent of the fire was wrestled under control.