SAN DIEGO -- Crews closed in Monday on the daunting goal of containing a pair of massive back-country infernos that combined to create the worst fire crisis in the state's history, 10News reported.

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The worst of the two deadly conflagrations, the 280,300-acre Cedar Fire, was 99 percent surrounded by late Monday afternoon. Officials hoped to complete the job Monday night.

The target date for full control of the vast burn area is Nov. 16, California Department of Forestry information officer Roxanne Provaznik said.

The blaze erupted near Ramona the evening of Oct. 25, probably sparked by a lost hunter's signal fire. Over the next week it destroyed 2,820 buildings -- 2,232 of them homes -- and killed 14 people, including a Bay area firefighter.

It also injured nearly 100 crew members endeavoring to subdue it amid rugged terrain, high temperatures and strong, dry winds.

The flames posed no further structural threats by Monday afternoon, as about 2,125 personnel continued working to corral the smoldering blaze.

Meanwhile, to the north, the 56,700-acre Paradise Fire in and around Valley Center was 75 percent contained, with 195 firefighters still assigned.

That blaze, which started shortly after midnight Oct. 26, destroyed 372 structures, including 179 residences, killed two residents and injured 220 firefighters.

It should be fully contained by 6 p.m. Saturday, with full control expected by Nov. 15, the CDF reported.

Investigations continue into the causes of the blazes.

Monday, firefighters' steady progress allowed schoolchildren from around the region to resume classes after a weeklong hiatus caused by dangerously smoky air shrouding much of the county.

Palomar Mountain-area residents got the go-ahead Sunday to return to their community, where crews quelled flames at the foot of the peak Saturday, thanks in part to cold, damp weather over the weekend.

Similarly helpful conditions prevailed Monday, with scattered drizzle and record low maximum temperatures in several areas.