Residents of Black Butte Ranch were allowed to return to their homes as the wildfire nearby died down Tuesday evening, officials said, but will remain on standby should the flames begin moving and growing again.

John Brown

As of Wednesday morning, the fire was about 7,500 acres, growing just slightly in size overnight, mostly along the Northern edge of the blaze. Firefighters said choppers would be dropping retardant on the flames all day, hopefully continueing to suffocate and kill the flames.

Rains helped dampen the spread of the George Washington Fire (also known as the GW Fire) on Tuesday.

The fire started last week following a lightning strike. It got as close as a quarter mile from Black Butte Ranch.

Residents of Black Butte Ranch were evacuated Monday as the fire reached within one half-mile of the upscale community. No homes or other structure have been damaged.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski toured the fire Tuesday afternoon. The governor invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act Monday, allowing fire officials to mobilize extra resources to contain the fire.

"I want to make sure that this community has every resource necessary to fight this fire and protect the safety of citizens in Deschutes County," the governor said in a statement.

SLIDESHOW: GW fire near Black Butte

 Raw video: Crews fight fires

 VIDEO: Fire forecast

By Tuesday morning, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved special wildfire funding for Oregon.

Link: Check road conditions

“The GW Fire is just another example of how this active wildfire season is far from over,” said FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison. “FEMA is committed to getting our firefighters the funds they need to extinguish dangerous fires that threaten lives and property.”

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the State’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating, and controlling designated fires.

Air retardant drops and about 450 firefighters were being used. All lands west of the Pacific Crest Trail and north of Highway 242 were also closed.

Becky Craigg with the National Forest Service said Saturday that residents were told to have their bags packed and to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.