The fierce winds that have fanned the flames across Southern California are forecast to weaken and be followed by cooling sea breezes.

The 16 wind-fed wildfires have so destroyed nearly 1,300 homes and forced a half-million people to flee.

The weather change could allow more aerial waterbombing and give firefighters a chance to beat back the most destructive fires, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff during a tour of an evacuation centre in San Diego.

``If the weather co-operates, maybe we can turn the tide,'' he said.

Crews were due to be supported by extra firefighters and equipment from other states, mostly throughout the West.

Meanwhile frustration over the effort so far began to emerge when a fire official said not enough had been done to protect homes.

Orange County Fire Chief Chip Prather said firefighters' lives were threatened because too few crews were on the ground. He said a rapid deployment of aircraft could have contained one massive fire.

``It is an absolute fact: Had we had more air resources, we would have been able to control this fire,'' he said.

The fires have burned 410,000 acres causing at least 100 million dollars in damage.

Twenty-one firefighters and at least 24 others have been injured. One person was killed by the flames, and four other deaths have been connected to the blazes.