Firefighters have made progress against northern California forest fires that burned homes and forced thousands to flee, as authorities prepare for a hot Fourth of July weekend that could bring the threat of new blazes.
Three wildfires near the towering Mount Shasta volcano an hour's drive from the Oregon border have burned about 155 square kilometres of land.
Property damage was evident at the Salt Fire, which broke out on Wednesday and prompted evacuations for some roads in Lakehead, a community of about 700 people.
About a dozen destroyed buildings could be seen in just one area of the community.
The Salt Fire covered nearly 21 sq km on Friday and was five per cent contained, said Adrienne Freeman, a spokeswoman for Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
No building damage was reported from two other northern fires, which erupted as the US west endures a historic drought tied to climate change.
To the north, the Lava Fire burning partly on the flanks of Mount Shasta covered more than 96 sq km but was 27 per cent contained.
Several thousand residents of Lake Shastina were allowed to return home late on Thursday.
Firefighters were doing mop-up on the western side of the fire and making good progress on the most active eastern portion, fire official Pat Bell said.
To the northeast, the Tennant Fire in the Klamath National Forest grew slightly to more than 40 sq km but progress was also reported there.
The blazes erupted during an extreme heat wave in the US west. The heat has since moderated but temperatures in the Mount Shasta area are still expected to reach nearly 38C at the weekend.
Last year, California wildfires scorched more than 17,000 sq km, the most in its recorded history.
Australian Associated Press
