Wildfire Chews Through California's Santa Cruz Mountains

A group of residents who remained despite the mandatory evacuation watch a firefighting helicopter make a drop near their properties along Summit Road near Santa Cruz, California, on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

Some evacuations were lifted Wednesday as firefighters, aided by cooler weather, held back the progress of the wildfire. 

An inmate firefighter examines a burning structure while battling the Loma Fire near Morgan Hill, California, on Sept. 28.

For the last several days, temperatures have been in the high 90s and near 100 degrees, and were considered "hazardous," by the National Weather Service. But Wednesday's cooler weather conditions were expected to last past the weekend.

A CalFire firefighter surveys a hot spot in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near Loma Prieta, California on Sept. 28.

Nearly 1,100 firefighters were working furiously to protect the 300 homes and communication towers that stood in the fire's path. 

Burned-out cars line a property after the Loma Fire burned through Loma Chiquita Road near Morgan Hill on Sept. 28.

It was among three blazes burning in Northern California during a time of year when the drought-stricken state sees its largest and most damaging wildfires, state forestry officials said.

A melted basketball hoop rests in a clearing after the Loma Fire tore along a ridge on Sept. 27 near Morgan Hill.

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