Firefighters made progress battling back the deadly Los Angeles County blazes on Saturday as President-elect Donald Trump said he likely will visit the fire-torn areas this week.

“I will be, probably, at the end of the week,” Trump told NBC News in an interview on Saturday.

“I was going to go, actually yesterday,” Trump added, “but I thought it would be better if I went as president. It’s a little bit more appropriate, I suspect.”

The Eaton fire was 73% contained as of Saturday afternoon, up from 65% the day before. The Palisades fire was 49% contained, up from 39% Friday evening.

Within Santa Monica, all evacuation orders have been lifted, and Pacific Coast Highway is accessible for residents, businesses and patrons, city officials said Saturday.

Cal Fire said low marine clouds and fog were possible over the Eaton fire at times, but a weakening south wind would lessen the marine influence through the weekend. However, officials are concerned about the Santa Ana winds that are expected to return with force Monday, along with decreasing humidity.

“We’re going to be desert dry here, and we’re going to have winds on top of that,” said Dennis Burns, fire behavior analyst with California Interagency Incident Management Team 2.

Dry conditions are expected to last through Friday, Burns said.

The fire has burned 14,117 acres. Officials have confirmed 17 fatalities from the Eaton fire and some 9,300 structures destroyed. Over 1,000 structures have been damaged, as well. Officials have completed inspections for 90% of the structures in the Eaton fire area.

More than 2,700 personnel remained assigned to the firefighting efforts, as well as 13 helicopters, and nearly 250 engines, 14 dozers and 50 water tenders.

Evacuation orders were lifted Saturday for three areas of Altadena, while evacuation warnings were lifted for others.

Some areas under evacuation warning have been modified to “soft closures.” A soft closure means the area remains closed to the general public but is open to residents with valid proof of residence. Residents who live near Mountain View Cemetery were given permission to return as of 3 p.m. Saturday, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Capt. Jabari Williams said.

“The goal of these soft closures is to have people go in, assess the area, their property, get some essential and some vital things that they need, and leave the area,” Williams said.

Those who decide to stay are under curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

SoCalGas officials temporarily shut off natural gas service to thousands of customers in the Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre communities as a safety measure. As of Saturday, the utility had restored service to 1,910 of those, with approximately 5,500 homes ready for potential restoration.

To identify the status of an evacuation zone, go to fire.ca.gov/incidents.html.

Minimal fire activity was observed on Saturday for the Palisades fire, and no further fire growth occurred Friday night, Cal Fire said.

“Night operations had a very successful shift,” Cal Fire Assistant Chief Eric Schwab said during an operational briefing Saturday morning.

“One of the biggest successes that I’ll note from yesterday is we were able to pull in those evac orders and get them tighter up to the fire perimeter,” Schwab added. “Some residents were allowed to go back in.”

On Saturday, Cal Fire saw slightly warmer temperatures with moderate humidity.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson said morning winds at lower elevations remained “very light.”

Despite Saturday’s typical seasonal weather, Rob Clark, a fire behavior analyst with Cal Fire, reminded crews of the season’s atypical rainfall.

“This time of the year, on a historical average, you would have almost 5.6 inches of rainfall,” Clark said. “We’re at 1.6 inches of rainfall since July. So put that in perspective for the critically dry nature of our fuels that are out there.”

Clark also warned of “critical weather conditions” set to reoccur after the weekend.

Dangerous Santa Ana winds are forecast for Monday and Tuesday, with gusts of 30 mph to 50 mph expected across the Santa Ana wind corridors of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Officials have confirmed 10 fatalities from the Palisades fire and 4,324 structures destroyed, including 3,595 homes. “Structures” includes homes, business and cars, officials said.

Some 5,700 personnel remain assigned to the fire as well as 44 helicopters and more than 550 engines, 53 dozers and 58 water tenders.

Some areas under evacuation warning are now open to residents only. A curfew order remains in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

To identify an evacuation zone for either wildfire, go to fire.ca.gov/incidents .html.

To search for an address: https://protect.genasys .com/search

Trump will be sworn in Monday indoors at the Capitol Rotunda instead of at the west front of the Capitol because of plummeting cold temperatures.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had sent a letter to Trump on Jan. 10 asking him to join him in California to meet with victims and firefighters.

On Thursday, L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said she did the same, inviting the president-elect to “see the impact firsthand.”

“By accepting this invitation, Mr. President-Elect, you will join us in supporting our citizenry and thanking our heroic first responders, who have risked their own lives to save others,” Barger wrote to Trump. “We would also ask you, as our President, to stand with the people of Los Angeles County as we set our course to rebuild. Your presence would be deeply felt and appreciated.”

Shortly after the fires started but before Newsom extended his invitation to Trump, the president-elect took to TruthSocial to blame Newsom for the fires and called on him to resign.

Newsom blasted Trump’s response on “Meet the Press” last Sunday.

“Responding to Donald Trump’s insults, we would spend another month,” Newsom told NBC News. “I’m very familiar with them. Every elected official that he disagrees with is very familiar with them.”

Some officials have said they expect the fires to result in the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The county and state have issued emergency proclamations, and President Joe Biden approved a “major disaster” declaration for the state.

Although evacuation orders have been lifted in the city, access to major thoroughfares around the city remains limited.

Access to PCH north of the Santa Monica city limits is still being managed by the Los Angeles Police Department. The 10 Freeway remains closed west of Lincoln Boulevard.

City News Service and staff writer Ryanne Mena contributed to this report.