L.A. Mayor Karen Bass talks with California Gov. Gavin Newsom while surveying damage from the Palisades Fire on Wednesday. (Jeff Gritchen/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — While acknowledging the historic devastation wrought by the ongoing wildfires across the region and all the hard work that remains to be done, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Thursday morning that the city had finally started to make “significant progress” overnight — progress that had not been possible when the blazes first erupted earlier this week.

The reason? L.A. is no longer getting battered by 60, 80, even 100 mph Santa Ana winds — which means helicopters and planes can finally take to the skies, scooping up water from brimming reservoirs rather than relying on overburdened hydrants.

“For much of Tuesday, the unprecedented winds prevented air operations,” Bass said at a press conference. “However, as of yesterday, the winds have allowed for air operations, and that has enabled significant progress against the fires in Hollywood and Studio City last night.”

The Sunset Fire is an example of how the momentum may be starting to shift as the Santa Anas fluctuate at a weaker level than before.

At around 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, a blaze erupted in the Hollywood Hills and quickly spread through Runyon Canyon, endangering landmarks such as the Hollywood Bowl and the TCL Chinese Theatre. A mandatory evacuation order was issued almost instantly.

At first, it looked like the worst-case scenario — yet another megafire to contend with. But helicopters soon arrived on the scene, and by 10:30 p.m., water drops were happening every 10 minutes, aided by the nearby Hollywood Reservoir. The fire was ultimately restricted to 42 acres.

By Thursday morning, the mandatory evacuation order had been lifted, and relieved residents were returning home. “It’s a miracle that no homes burned here,” one firefighter told the Los Angeles Times.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Fire Department knocked down the Sunswept house fire in nearby Studio City within an hour, and other crews were able to “significantly stop” the growth of the Eaton Fire as planes and helicopters dropped water and fire retardant late Wednesday and early Thursday.

Firefighters still haven’t contained the two blazes that exploded when the winds were at their worst: Palisades (17,000 acres) and Eaton (10,000 acres). But as long as the Santa Ana winds cooperate, aircraft will help keep the flames from destroying even more homes and businesses — the first step in starting to turn the tide.