At least 96 houses were destroyed in the huge ongoing Southern California wildfire, while firefighters made more progress containing the blaze.

The Blue Cut Fire was still smoldering Saturday, but officials are now able to make an estimate on damages.

Costa Dillon, a spokesperson for the fire department, says containment of the fire some 60 miles east of Los Angeles was at 83%. Power outages are keeping people from returning home: a spokesperson from Southern California Edison said that they need to replace more than 300 fallen power poles and miles of wire, but can't do so until fire danger has passed.

The fire, which is 68% contained, has destroyed 105 homes and 213 other structures in San Bernardino County since it broke out Tuesday for reasons investigators are still trying to determine. Cal fire says the fire is 26 percent contained.

On August 18th, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department released the names and photos of three looters caught in the act of stealing from a home within the evacuated area.

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There have been no reported deaths.

"We have these tinder dry conditions across the state due to drought, and it only takes one spark - whether it's a vehicle that pulls over into grass, a campfire, or lightning - that has the potential to create a fire that can grow very quickly and potentially do a lot of damage".

"We come in right on the heels of the fire", he told The AP.

As they do every summer as fire season nears, fire agencies have been monitoring fire-prone areas, mainly the foothill and mountain regions, and working with property owners to ensure brush and dead or dying trees are cleared and defensible space exists surrounding properties. The U.S. Forest Service's website lists 275 fire engines, 32 bulldozers, 26 water tenders, 10 air tankers and 14 helicopters on the scene. "These winds were causing the fire to spot upwards of a half mile ahead of itself".

The blaze ranks as one of the most destructive California fires this year, rivaling the so-called Erskine Fire, which consumed about 48,000 acres northeast of Bakersfield in June, killed an elderly couple and destroyed 386 structures, including about 150 homes.