July 5 (Bloomberg) -- California, beset by wildfires that have scorched 526,707 acres (213,151 hectares), got cooler, coastal air in some parts of the state today, which may help tamp down the blazes.

Three hundred thirty-two fires remain active, down from 1,783 at their peak, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. About 11,000 residences and more than 400 commercial properties still are threatened. Eighty-one percent of the fires burning have been contained, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said.

``We're very fortunate that we have a lot of natural disasters and very highly-trained firefighters, otherwise we wouldn't be this lucky,'' Schwarzenegger said at a televised press conference today in Santa Barbara.

Multiple California cities and towns banned July 4 holiday fireworks on concern about more blazes. The state has declared emergencies in 11 counties, which span the length of the state from Shasta and Trinity counties in northern California to Monterey in the central part to Santa Barbara County in the south.

Goleta

Today, cooler and moister air moved into Santa Barbara.

``There should be a good onshore flow of moist air in Santa Barbara County building in the afternoons through the weekend at least into Monday,'' said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, California.

He said the evening ``sundowner'' winds that flow down the mountains toward the sea won't be as hard as last night with speeds averaging between 10 miles per hour (16 kilometers per hour) to 20 mph, less than the 15 to 30 mph yesterday.

Residents in Santa Barbara County were ordered yesterday to evacuate their homes. Winds fanned the so-called Gap fire in the Los Padres National Forest, threatening houses in Goleta, a coastal city northwest of Santa Barbara, and surrounding areas. The city of Santa Barbara is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.

The blaze had consumed about 8,357 acres (2,400 hectares) as of 8 a.m. local time today, said Kaitlin Brennan, a spokeswoman with the Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services.

Big Sur

The fire, which is 24 percent contained, is under investigation. More than 2,263 homes had been evacuated, and another 853 residences were in the warning area to be prepared to leave if necessary, Brennan said.

In the Big Sur area, about 5,000 homes are under evacuation orders as the flames move closer to historic vacation retreats, the Associated Press said.

The so-called Basin Complex blaze has burned about 68,712 acres, destroyed at least 20 structures, and threatens an additional 1,777. It's only 5 percent contained and isn't expected to be fully under control until the end of this month, according to Monterey County Office of Emergency Services spokeswoman Karen McKinley.

Closures and delays were in place along the scenic coastal state Highway 1 in the Big Sur area, as well highways 32 and 70.

Yesterday, the governor ordered 200 more National Guard troops to join firefighters in their battle.

The soldiers will double the number of Guard troops assisting in the effort to 400. They will report to a training center at the McClellan Air Park early next week. About 20,000 people have been fighting the fires.

Most fires across the state have been burning since June 21, when lightning triggered blazes in the northern counties.

To contact the reporters on this story: Nancy Moran in New York at nmoran@bloomberg.net; Nadja Brandt in Los Angeles at nbrandt@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 5, 2008 17:55 EDT