Improving weather conditions and a massive counterattack by firefighters appear to be turning the tide in the Malibu wildfire, sparing the wealthy California enclave from large-scale property losses.

“We’re all shaking our heads and saying we were so lucky,” Mayor Doug Stewart said in an interview Wednesday. “We all thought we were going to lose a lot of homes.”

The Franklin Fire, which has burned more than 4,000 acres, is still only 7 percent contained, according to Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. And yet seaside Malibu, home to generations of Hollywood royalty, appears to have escaped the widespread destruction residents feared when the blaze erupted amid high winds Monday night.

So far, authorities have reported just nine structures destroyed and six others damaged, with no deaths or injuries. Pepperdine University, where students watched flames nearly encircle the campus, lifted its shelter-in-place protocol Wednesday as electricity was restored to the school. About 20,000 citizens so far have been covered by evacuation orders and warnings, and 6,300 citizens remain evacuated out of their homes, according to Cal Fire. (Read More: How the Santa Ana Winds Spread the Malibu Wildfire)

“Friends and clients in Malibu are sensing real relief as no injuries or fatalities,” Kurt Rappaport, a real estate agent who brokered $100-million-plus sales for clients including Beyonce and Marc Andreessen, said in a text. “Fire department and first responders were amazing. Everyone is hopeful that serious warnings will be lifted and people get back in their homes soon.”

Nearly 2,000 firefighters are attacking the fire, aided by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. They received a major boost Wednesday from the weather. The Santa Ana winds that had fanned the blaze faded, leading the National Weather Service to cancel a red-flag warning. The region faces the chance of significant rain on Saturday, and the weather service forecast a “moderate” risk of more Santa Ana winds next week.

“Today we saw the weather moderate, which allowed us to have a lot of success around the fire,” Dusty Martin, assistant chief at Cal Fire, said at a briefing on Wednesday evening briefing. A shift tomorrow from north-northeast winds to south-southeast winds could bring about “a possible change in direction” of the fire, he said.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. The fire grew explosively after it was first spotted Monday night, tearing across hillsides full of dry vegetation. Malibu City Hall, schools, a wastewater treatment plant and a shopping center all stood in the path of the advancing flames.

“It was absolutely a shot down the 50-yard line of the city,” Mayor Stewart said.

Road access remains severely limited, with hard closures along the Pacific Coast Highway that connects Malibu to Los Angeles. Local public schools will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, according to an X post from the City of Malibu. Power remains out in parts of Malibu, interfering with cell service, traffic lights and other services.

Malibu is one of the state’s wealthiest communities, with miles of pristine beaches and homes selling for a median price of more than $4 million. Actor Dick Van Dyke posted on social media Tuesday that he, his wife and their animals had evacuated their home.

California will receive federal emergency assistance to help fight the Franklin fire, according to a statement from Governor Gavin Newsom’s office Tuesday.

As the weather improved Wednesday, electric utilities across the region switched back on some power lines they had shut down to prevent sparks from igniting more fires. About 90 homes and businesses served by San Diego Gas & Electric Co. remained without service Wednesday evening, with another 106,200 on notice for potential outages later this week. Fewer than 80 customers of Southern California Edison were without power Wednesday night, all in Los Angeles County. The company was considering additional outages for about 6,500 homes and businesses.

Featured image: A firefighter works to contain a spot fire at Pepperdine University during the Franklin fire in Malibu on Dec. 10. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg