MALIBU, Calif.—More than 3,700 residents were allowed to return to their Malibu homes on Thursday after calmer winds and rising humidity in Southern California helped firefighters battle a blaze that had forced thousands, including college students and celebrities, to evacuate earlier this week.
But another 1,600 people with homes in Malibu—a city typically known for its rugged canyons, stunning bluffs and celebrities’ seaside mansions—remained under evacuation orders. All told, some 20,000 residents in the city and neighboring areas had been affected by mandatory evacuation orders and warnings since the fire broke out late Monday.
