The blaze, which erupted on Sunday, has ripped through 3,100 acres (1,254 hectares) of densely forested terrain and destroyed more than 225 structures -- including 176 homes -- worth an estimated 141 million dollars.

Around 3,500 local residents have been evacuated, according to Forest Service figures.

But while officials said there was still a risk of the blaze spreading, they said benign weather allowed firefighters to make inroads late Wednesday, increasing containment from 44 to 55 percent.

"The weather has helped a lot. There wasn't much wind last night and it has been calm today," a Forest Service spokeswoman said. "But the wind is still forecast to pick up today, which could change the situation."

California officials have declared a state of emergency in the area affected by the fire, which local officials have described as the worst in memory.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the scene of the devastation with local officials on Wednesday and said it was only the response of the firefighters that had prevented a bigger catastrophe.

"It could have been much worse, if we hadn't had such well-trained firefighters," said Schwarzenegger.

Forestry service officials have said the exact cause of the fire is unknown but said the blaze was "almost certainly" the result of human activity.

So far three people, all firefighters, have suffered minor injuries in the fire, which NASA photographs released Wednesday showed was visible from space.

US fire and forestry officials have been bracing for a severe fire season across California this year after a dry winter marked by record low rainfalls.

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