( CNN ) -- Helped by higher humidity , firefighters battled back a wind-whipped wildfire in Southern California , clearing the way for many evacuated residents to return home . The Powerhouse Fire is burning in the Palmdale area north of Los Angeles . It has destroyed some six homes , threatened as many as 1,000 , and grew to more than 32,000 acres as of late Monday , according to Lisa Lugo with the Angeles National Forest . Three people have been injured since the fire started last week , though it was not immediately clear how . `` So far things look much better than they did yesterday , '' incident commander Norm Walker told reporters . `` Last night , we increased the containment to 40 % . We hope to bump that up considerably again tonight if conditions remain the same . '' Later , Lugo said that containment stood at 60 % . Residents who evacuated from the communities of Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth were allowed to return home . However , the community of Antelope Acres remained under a mandatory evacuation order . A shelter has opened for those with nowhere else to go . Helicopters helped firefighters by dropping retardant and water along the perimeter of the blaze . `` We want to take advantage of the high humidity , get in there and do a direct attack and do all we can to get some of these hot spots put out so it does n't spread anymore , '' Los Angeles County Fire Capt . Mike McCormick told CNN affiliate KABC . Elsewhere in the West , a small fire burned in Jefferson County , Colorado , prompting evacuations , according to the Sheriff 's Office there . No structures were lost . Another fire , north of Pecos , New Mexico , has scorched about 8,000 acres and forced the evacuation of about 100 summer homes , said Denise Ottaviano of New Mexico Fire Information . That fire , known as the Tres Lagunas Fire , is 5 % contained . Officials believe it was ignited by a downed power line . CNN 's Diahann Reyes contributed to this report .
NEW : Other fires burn in New Mexico and Colorado . NEW : Residents of two communities are allowed to return home . NEW : The Powerhouse Fire is about 60 % contained . It has destroyed some six homes and threatened up to 1,000 .