After destroying almost 72,000 acres of land in Northern California over the past week, firefighters managed to contain 45 percent of the massive Butte Fire as of Wednesday morning.

The Butte Fire began on Sept. 9 in Amador and Calaveras Counties, and then quickly spread, destroying 233 homes and 175 outbuildings, reports LALATE News. It has also damaged 15 structures and forced the evacuation of 2,700 Northern California residents.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, residents who were forced to evacuate were allowed to return to their homes in communities that are no longer threatened by the flames, including Pine Grove, Mokelumne Hill, Glencoe, West Point and Wilseyville, reports SF Gate.

It took nearly 5,000 firefighters to control the wildfire.

Only one fatality has been reported. Officials identified the victim as an older woman in the Valley Springs area of Lake County, according to The Sacramento Bee. Fire officials also warned that the death toll could rise once the number of people reported missing are accounted for.

The Butte Fire is just one of 10 large fires currently burning in California. The Valley Fire is another fire that began on Saturday in Lake and Napa counties. It has since burned 70,000 acres of land, devastating the rural communities around Middletown and claiming at least 585 homes. That number could soar to 1,000 or more once officials finish conducting a formal count. Meanwhile, thousands of people remain evacuated. Officials say 30 percent of the Valley fire has been contained.

Fire crews battling the Butte and Valley fires say that cooler temperatures and humidity helped them contained the flames. In addition, the National Weather Service reports that rain could fall on Wednesday in areas affected by the fires, including Lake, Sonoma and Napa counties.

"We anticipated the front that came in last night," said Jaime Moore, a Battalion Chief with the Los Angeles Fire Department helping out on the Butte blaze.

"The cold weather helped us out and we will try to take advantage of it today because we anticipate higher temperatures Thursday and later in the week."