Fire crews continued mop-up efforts in the College Area and Talmadge neighborhoods Friday morning following the eruption of a swift-moving fire a day earlier that sent residents fleeing and damaged homes. The blaze, which burned around 40 acres, was 25% contained as of Friday morning, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Montezuma Road between Collwood Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue remained closed. Evacuation orders Thursday stretched across a wide swath of central San Diego, encompassing large parts of Talmadge, the College Area, Kensington and Normal Heights. All orders were lifted Thursday night, and power was restored to those neighborhoods, fire officials reported. The blaze, which started around 1:40 p.m. off Montezuma east of Fairmount, damaged six homes — mostly charred fences, broken windows and the like, officials said. The fire burned quickly through canyons dense with brush and palm trees and raced toward homes at the top of ridges. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The smoke was still palpable in the area Friday morning. Residents in Talmadge said they were thankful for the firefighters who stayed in their neighborhood overnight to contain the fire. Some homes off Lucille Drive lost fences to the blaze. San Diego fire officials on X praised the work of fire crews and air support, which came from agencies around the county. “Your heroic efforts saved neighborhoods during very challenging conditions! Thanks to all the agencies who arrived from the far reaches of our county to share the work,” officials wrote Thursday night. Mayor Todd Gloria called the response “coordinated, efficient and decisive.” “The efforts from all involved have been nothing short of courageous and heroic, and I couldn’t be prouder of all of our first responders,” he said in a statement. Staff writer Tammy Murga contributed to this report.