The blaze erupted Thursday afternoon and prompted the evacuation of about 2,000 Antelope Valley homes, but most had returned by early Friday, Los Angeles County fire and sheriff’s officials said.
Flames up to 50 feet high threatened the communities of Leona Valley, Anaverde, and Ranch Vista, but cool, windless overnight weather helped ease the threat.
On Thursday, the fire stopped at the California Aqueduct, which runs along foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The concrete channel acted as a natural firebreak, fire Inspector Matt Levesque said.
Aircraft and about 750 firefighters were concentrating on protecting the densely populated Palmdale area a few miles away and a cluster of power transmission lines that provide electricity to much of Southern California.
Gusty winds and a high of 98 degrees were expected to pose a challenge for crews.
The fire broke out near a state highway that snakes through the San Gabriel Mountains, connecting Los Angeles to the high desert. Angeles National Forest lands lie on either side.
Bryant said fire investigators were focusing on some workers who were trying to remove a tire rim by hammering on bolts. He said the workers were cooperating with the investigation.
Elsewhere, good weather in neighboring Kern County helped firefighters build containment lines around two wildfires that destroyed homes in remote mountain communities earlier in the week.
