The wildfire near Lake Tahoe continued to burn and destroy but early Tuesday brought lighter winds that helped firefighters contain 40 percent of the blazing chaos.

The number of homes and other buildings destroyed by the wind-driven fire that has been scorching the region around Lake Tahoe has reached 225. Over 1,000 residents had to evacuate their homes due to the state of emergency declared.

California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, who declared the state of emergency while Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Europe, said: “The circumstances of this wildfire, by reason of their magnitude, are beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single county.”

Over 750 firefighters struggled to contain the fire but the heavy smoke prevented air tankers from doing their job.

Authorities said the ongoing blaze is the worst to have taken place in the last 50 years. It started in the forested area south of Lake Tahoe on Sunday morning. The cause of the blaze is believed to have been human activity, but authorities have not said whether it was accidental or arson.

By early Monday morning, the fire had burned down 225 homes and structures and had scorched over 800 hectares. The smoke could be seen 150 kilometers away in Sacramento, California’s capital. The high winds prevented firefighters from deploying helicopters to fight the blaze.

The fire comes after a prolonged dry season. Authorities fear subsequent wildfires.