California authorities say firefighters made significant progress over the weekend combatting wildfires that devastated the state's famed wine country and nearby areas, killing 42 people and destroying 8,400 buildings.
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said Monday that several days of rainfall helped the firefighters and that authorities are confident most of the wildfires will be contained this week.
He says the largest fires are more than 90 percent contained. Full containment for the Nuns, Pocket and Tubbs fires is expected come Friday.
The Atlas Fire has scorched 51,624 acres and is 95 percent contained; the Nuns fire has charred 56,556 acres and is 90 percent contained; the Tubbs Fire has burned 36,807 acres and is 94 percent contained; and the Pocket Fire has torched 17,357 acres and is 89 percent contained, Cal Fire announced Monday morning.
Farther north, the Redwood Valley Fire in Mendocino County has charred 36,523 acres and is 98 percent contained. The Sulphur Fire in Lake County has burned 2,207 acres and is also 98 percent contained.
Officials are almost finished with their assessment of property damage. Berlant says their count of buildings destroyed may rise slightly.
The fires started Oct. 8 and 9 and spread mostly in Sonoma and Napa counties north of San Francisco.
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They were the deadliest and most destructive in California's history.
