Flames propelled by gusts of up to 60 mph marched to within a half mile of homes in the resort town of roughly 3,400 residents that straddles Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties about 75 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. But a lull in winds late in the day allowed firefighters to make an all-out assault on the blaze, cutting wide swaths of fire breaks and lighting back fires. Improved conditions also gave firefighters the chance to hit the flames with precise water drops from helicopters just a few hundred feet above hot spots. Air tankers bombarded the blaze with retardant. 'Overall, we are starting to get a handle on this fire, although the battle is not over,' San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Jay Hausman. By Sunday evening, U.S. Forest Service officials reported that the fire had scorched 7,500 acres and was 20 percent contained. The National Weather Service predicted a drop in gusty conditions overnight and into Monday and a slight chance of drizzle, offering possible relief for firefighters. Wrightwood, which at 6,000 feet sits at the bottom of the heavily wooded Swarthout Valley, has long flirted with fire danger. Nevertheless, Sunday morning's mandatory evacuations took some by surprise as the blaze, known as the Sheep Fire, menaced more than 1,000 homes in the town and surrounding areas. 'I've lived here 47 years. This is the first mandatory evacuation we've ever had,' Hazel Kordyak, 72, said after filling her car's tank at the lone gas station. She said she was not sure where she would go. 'It's scary,' Kordyak said. 'It's just me, my toy poodle and cat. I guess we'll just head down mountain and make a few calls.' Law enforcement authorities later said they were on alert after reports of several break-ins at homes in the largely deserted town. Some residents immediately heeded the mandatory evacuation order at 10:20 a.m., packed their bags and headed down the mountain. A few bought disposable cameras to photograph their belongings for insurance purposes. The local hardware store sold socks and hats to firefighters and tire-repair kits to customers as they prepared to leave, with heavy trailers in tow. Others gathered at a bulletin board in the hardware store's parking lot and shared information while keeping an eye on American flags hanging outside restaurants and shops, as they tried to gauge the wind's direction and strength. Some grumbled that the nearest evacuation shelter was in Rialto, about 24 miles southeast but a longer journey given fire detours and the area's mountain roads. Another shelter was set up later at the Victorville fairgrounds, about the same distance northeast. Helicopters doused homes with water and engine crews covered some structures with fire retardant gel to help protect them if the flames continued their advance. Bulldozers climbed steep mountain slopes to carve out new fire breaks. On California Highway 2, Betsy West, 34, was wrapping up the last lunch order of the day before locking up her Grizzly Cafe and preparing to leave. 'If not for this particular order, we'd be out of here by now,' she said. 'The Wrightwood Fire Department asked us to cook up a big batch of hamburgers and chocolate-chip cookies.' Much of the concern Sunday morning was focused on the eastern edge of town, where dozens of homes were threatened. By midday, many residents noted that the black smoke that had filled the skies an hour earlier had turned a more benign light-gray and that the howling winds of the day before had diminished to a gentle breeze. The fire destroyed three homes shortly after it began Saturday afternoon in the Lytle Creek area east of Mount Baldy and west of the Cajon Pass. Fire officials said Sunday they believed additional structures had been damaged but did not have details. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Sahagun reported from Wrightwood and Leonard from Los Angeles. Staff writers Catherine Saillant, Ari B. Bloomekatz and Nicole Santa Cruz contributed to this report. 