The Los Angeles County Fire Department said the first fire trucks had begun to be withdrawn after the blaze that destroyed nearly 50 multi-million dollar homes in the celebrity enclave subsided overnight.

By 8:00 am local time (1600 GMT), the fire was 40 percent contained, and full containment could be achieved by Tuesday, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman said.

"The outlook is positive," the spokesman said. "The winds have dropped off and we've got plenty of resources on hand, so we're making steady progress."

The fires erupted early Saturday, fuelled by fierce seasonal gusts known as the Santa Ana Winds, and quickly tore through thousands of acres of mountainous, tinder-dry parkland.

A total of 52 buildings, including 50 homes, were destroyed and a further 27 were damaged in the 4,720-acre (1,910-hectare) blaze.

More than 10,000 residents, including several Hollywood celebrities, were forced to evacuate. On Sunday residents began returning to their homes as evacuation orders were lifted, local media reported.

Seven firefighters suffered injuries while tackling the fire, which was caused by "human activity," which does not necessarily mean arson, investigators told local media.

Around 1,700 firefighters were deployed throughout Saturday, backed by 23 aircraft including water-dropping helicopters and a DC-10 which pummeled the infernos with flame retardant.

Helicopters took advantage of a full moon over the area to work through the night, dousing the fires with water drops.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reactivated a state of emergency he declared last month in response to the wildfires in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego counties.

Last month a devastating fire destroyed 4,565 acres (1,847 hectares), six homes, two businesses and a church in Malibu.

The blaze was one of a series of state-wide infernos that left eight people dead, destroyed 2,000 homes, displaced 640,000 people and caused more than one billion dollars in damage.

Malibu, around 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Los Angeles, is home to celebrities such as Sting, Jennifer Aniston, Mel Gibson, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Cher and Richard Gere.

Local media reports said actors Matthew McConaughey and Minnie Driver were among those forced to evacuate Saturday's fire while Red Hot Chili Peppers bass guitarist Flea's home was destroyed by the flames.

A text message from the rock star said his 10.5-million-dollar mansion had "burnt to a crisp," The Los Angeles Times said.

Saturday's fire is the most destructive to hit Malibu since the 1993 fires which tore through the area. Three people were killed and around 400 homes were gutted by the flames, the worst in the city's history.

The latest fire comes after a year of record-low rainfalls in the Los Angeles area, with just 8.15 centimeters (3.2 inches) of rain between January 1 and June 30 -- a fifth of the average rainfall and the lowest since records began 130 years ago.

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