Wildfires in Corona and Lompoc near full containment

Fire authorities say they anticipate full containment Monday of the week-old Canyon fire in Corona, while the Rucker fire near Lompoc should be contained by Wednesday.

The Orange County Fire Authority announced on Twitter on Sunday morning that the fire, which had burned 2,662 acres and damaged six structures, was 95% contained.

The fast-moving fire, driven by temperatures in the 90s and strong winds, forced as many as 1,500 Corona residents to evacuate last week as it exploded to 2,000 acres in the Santa Ana Mountains near the Anaheim-Corona border, threatening homes.

Authorities ordered residents of all homes south of Green River Road from the 91 Freeway to Trudy Lane, including the Orchard Glen Tract, to leave as more than 300 firefighters trudged through steep, rugged terrain to battle the blaze.

Sgt. Daron Wyatt, a spokesman for the Anaheim police and fire departments, said the blaze began about 1 p.m. on Sept. 25. The fire had spread into a “small section” of Chino Hills State Park about 3 p.m., he said.

Meanwhile, firefighters battling the Rucker fire near Lompoc called in aircraft Sunday when gusty winds touched off spot fires outside the containment area.

Aerial drops quickly extinguished the 2- to 4-acre fires, Santa Barbara County Fire Department public information officer Mike Eliason said Monday.

Eliason said the fire, which burned 441 acres, was 90% contained, but the expected time of full containment was pushed back to Wednesday evening.

Authorities had ordered evacuation of about 900 homes after the fire broke out Friday. Eliason said all evacuations were lifted and all roads opened Monday with the fire 60% contained.

Investigators had determined that the fire was caused by a malfunctioning vehicle, and that several pieces of a catalytic converter had been found.

doug.smith@latimes.com

@LATDoug

UPDATES:

10:20 a.m.: This article was updated with details on the Rucker fire.

This article was originally published at 9:20 a.m.