The thousands of firefighters and homeowners struggling to battle the numerous wildfires burning across northern California were finally able to take a break on Sunday morning as another town has been spared from the flames.

The meteorological conditions - moist air and calmer winds - helped firefighters contain much of a dangerous wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Several thousand of previously evacuated people returned to their homes in Paradise for the first time since Tuesday.

The number of homes threatened by the wildfires decreased from 3,800 homes on Friday to about 300 homes as firefighters managed to 55 percent contain the blaze.

"For the first time, we've really turned the corner," said Kim Sone, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention.

However, several wildfires continue to pose a big threat around the state and flash floods are menacing areas charred by last week’s fires. An evacuation order was issued and is still in effect for Concow which wasn’t spared by the wildfires as other areas. Authorities said nearly 50 homes were charred by the blazes a one person was killed when flames jumped a containment line.

The Butte County blaze burned nearly 1,200 square miles and destroyed about 100 homes across California since next week when a lighting storm ignited the numerous wildfires.

The Californian firefighters are receiving some much-needed help from abroad. Firefighters from Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Greece are on their way to help the exhausted U.S. firefighters.

At the order of California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, approximately 2,000 more National Guard troops will join the 400 troops who are already battling the blazes.

U.S. President George Bush announced he will visit some of the areas worst hit by the wildfires.