Updated with majority containment and most evacuations lifted. First posted at 7:05 a.m.

The Powerhouse Fire found its second and third wind over the weekend, roaring across more than 22,000 acres since it began … last month.

Yeah, L.A. does brush fires big. And the season's just beginning. This one isn't expected to be out until …

,,, June 10

Wow.

So far six homes have been destroyed southwest of Lake Elizabeth, and nine other structures were being checked for damage, according to what fire officials told City News Service.

The blaze on Sunday spread from the mountainous Angeles National Forest north of L.A. to the Antelope Valley by jumping the California Aqueduct, CNS reported.

It also raged along two fronts, 12 miles west of Lancaster and along a front east of Lebec, fire officials said. It was fed by winds of up to 40 miles per hour, officials said: 2,100 firefighters battled the flames.


View PowerHouse Fire in a larger map

Residents speaking to Fox 11 News described the sound of the fire as a “roar;” they said it was like a “storm” that had blasted through their communities.

According to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, mandatory and voluntary evacuations were in effect for the following communities:

The Lake Hughes Community is under mandatory evacuation.

Cottonwood Campground has been completely evacuated.

The Lake Elizabeth community is under voluntary evacuation.

The residential area at the intersection of Munz Ranch Road and the California Aquaduct is under voluntary evacuation.

All residents north of South Portal and west of San Francisquito Canyon Road are asked to evacuate.

Credit: LASD

Credit: LASD

Evacuees were looking at time away from home until at least tonight, according to officials and reports.

Some observers noted that estimates had the Powerhouse blaze burning a larger area than Manhattan. The fire was only 20 percent contained last night, according to a sheriff's statement.

The good news?

Spring time, including cool, ocean winds and cloud cover, was expected to return to greater L.A. That could help.

[Update at 11:45 p.m.]: Cal Fire says the blaze is 60 percent contained and had spread to more than 32,000 acres today.

At a news conference one fire official said there was mostly “good news” from the front lines.

Most of the 2,800 or so people who had been ordered to evacuate, mainly from the Lake Elizabeth, Lake Hughes and Green Valley areas, were allowed to return to their homes tonight.

Officials still don't expect it to be fully extinguished until next Monday.

[With reporting from City News Service / @dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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