A wildfire that swept through a landmark Los Angeles park, forcing authorities to evacuate the zoo and a wealthy Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was brought under control on Wednesday by fire crews taking advantage of a break in hot winds.

But with white smoke still drifting over the charred foothills of Griffith Park and temperatures rising above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, firefighters kept a wary eye on the wind as they raced to stamp out remaining hot spots.

Local officials and residents said it was the worst fire in the Hollywood Hills in 50 years and feared it was a sign of things to come as Southern California suffers through its driest spring on record.

"We are facing an incredibly difficult fire season," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told a news conference in the park, urging residents of the nation's second-largest city to clear bone-dry brush from around their homes.

The blaze that began on Tuesday just east of the famed Hollywood sign consumed 817 acres in the nation's largest urban park, home to landmarks like the Griffith Observatory and the Greek Theater.

Fire officials hoped for full containment by Thursday.

Authorities who initially suspected arson now believe it may have started by accident. Investigators were questioning a man who walked out of the brush with burns on his chest, saying he had fallen asleep while smoking a cigarette.