Firefighters making gains on California wildfire

* Fire 30 percent contained as weather improves

* 11,524 properties evacuated, 3,500 homes threatened

* Evacuations affect 29,000 people

SANTA BARBARA, Calif, May 9 (Reuters) - Firefighters were making progress on Saturday toward containing a ferocious California wildfire now in its fifth day that has destroyed 80 homes and forced some 29,000 people to evacuate an area above the seaside city of Santa Barbara.

"About 30 percent of the fire is now contained, up from only 10 percent on Friday," said Harry Hagen, a spokesman for the emergency operations center for Santa Barbara County, attributing the progress to better weather.

One of the biggest challenges in battling the so-called Jesusita fire has been hot, unpredictable "sundowner" winds that pick up at nightfall and fan the flames through steep canyons into neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes.

"The humidity's up and they (firefighters) can really take advantage of the marine layer today. The winds didn't pick up last night as significantly as had been predicted," Hagen said.

"Prior to today, it was a defensive effort and it was all reactionary. As of today, it's an offensive effort and firefighters are now chasing the fire," Hagen said.

County officials expect the fire to be contained by the middle of next week, but have not said when evacuees can return. Hagen said officials were working on this.