LOS ANGELES — Fire officials on Sunday described battling strong, howling winds and rescuing people in a Southern California wildfire that has forced thousands to flee and destroyed at least 168 structures and damaged 67.

Crews increased the containment of the wildfire to 31 percent in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, from 26 percent Sunday morning. The size of the fire remains around 32 square miles (about 83 square kilometers).

“I’m thankful for the number of lives that have been saved and the fact that we have no reported fatalities,” said an emotional Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner at a community meeting Sunday night.

“I know we suffered a lot of damage, but thousands of homes were saved and hundreds of lives were saved. I know we made mistakes, but we will learn from these mistakes,” he said.

Public safety officials in Ventura County said they braced for dry, warm and gusty winds from the northeast Santa Ana. But the fire that broke out wednesday morning exploded in size, with winds gusting to 80 mph (about 130 km/h) and embers flying from orchards 2-1/2 miles (4 kilometers) away to residential neighborhoods surrounding the community of Camarillo.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Inspection teams continue to assess the damage.

Firefighters performed 136 active rescues, authorities said Sunday.

Evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings for residents in several areas of Ventura County on Saturday as winds dropped and firefighters were aided by mild temperatures and low humidity.

Agriculture officials, who assessed the tax on farmland planted with avocados, citrus and berries, estimated the damage at $2.4 million, The Ventura County Star reported.

Another round of northeast winds was expected Tuesday, but humidity should increase and gusts are not forecast to become as high as those that ignited the fire, meteorologist Ryan Walbrun said.

“They won’t be nearly as strong as the winds that were there when this fire started. But for some of you, you’re going to hear that wind and it might trigger you a little bit,” he said.

The region northwest of Los Angeles has seen some of California’s most destructive wildfires over the years. The Mountain Fire quickly grew from less than half a square mile (about 1.2 square kilometers) to more than 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in just over five hours Wednesday, with gusts of up to 61 mph (98 km/h).

Red flag warnings indicating high fire danger conditions have expired for most of the region on Thursday.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Ventura County.