Firefighters expect to fully contain the wildfires burning throughout Southern California no later than 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The blazes that have already blackened nearly 750,000 acres in San Bernardino, San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties were all at least 75 percent contained Monday morning, with cool temperatures and mild winds allowing firefighters to make strong progress.
``The weather continues to be helpful for us,'' said Andrea Tuttle, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. ``It's cloudy, it's cool, there are still showers occurring and there is snow on the top of the San Bernardino Mountains.''
Meanwhile, state officials said Monday they are now turning their attention to the flood and mudslide dangers certain to follow.
Deputy Chief Bill Schultz of the California Department of Forestry said crews are trying to identify hazardous areas before winter storms hit.
``You can see that with the weather how it is now, the race is already on,'' Schultz said.
Schultz said both state and local crews are trying to find and prepare homes that may be in flood danger zones. He said workers are also clearing debris from drainage channels and exploring options for re-seeding a few burned slopes.
Most residents evacuated during the fires have been allowed to return to what's left of their neighborhoods, although nine mountain communities in San Bernardino County remained under mandatory evacuation Monday. Those are Twin Peaks, Blue Jay, Rimforest, Sky Forest, Lake Arrowhead, Cedar Glen, Running Springs, Arrowbear and Green Valley.
More than 743,000 acres burned in Southern California over the last two weeks, consuming 3,577 homes and killing 20 people.
More than 15,600 firefighters battled the blazes at their peaks. Less than 9,000 were on the lines Monday morning, and that number continues to drop as crews are released to return home, Tuttle said.