Leaving Qualcomm Stadium

The population at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego's much-lauded evacuation center, is dwindling. At daybreak, officials estimated that fewer than 1,000 people remained, down from a high of about 12,000.

On Wednesday night, San Diego police began broadcasting a message that only true fire victims were allowed. About 1,000 people immediately got up and left, officials said. As news circulated that evacuation orders were being lifted for various neighorhoods, the stream of departing people increased.

-- Tony Perry