Firefighters gained an upper hand on a wildfire in Santa Barbara, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, allowing thousands of residents to return home, authorities said on Sunday.

Aided by dying winds, dampness and cooler temperatures, firefighters have contained 55 percent of the fire as of Sunday morning, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

Full containment is expected by Wednesday as there is no prediction for the "sundowner" winds on Sunday that had driven embers down the canyons, the department said.

"The saving grace is lack of wind," said Tom Franklin, Santa Barbara County fire chief. "Should the wind shift or weather change, there's always an opportunity for that fire to take off."

The six-day fire has consumed 8,700 acres (about 3,500 hectares) , destroyed dozens of homes and forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 residents.

A total of 18 firefighters were injured, two of them seriously, and they remain hospitalized.

Evacuation orders have been lifted for some places hard hit by the fire.

However, firefighters warned residents to remain alert and be ready to evacuate again if the weather conditions that drove the fire down into their neighborhoods return.

The fire broke out on Tuesday in wildlands and spread through brush north of the city. Investigators still did not know what caused the fire.

(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2009)