LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Cooler temperatures Tuesday could help firefighters slow down a fast-moving, deadly wildfire that has charred more than 105,000 acres in Southern California.
Two firefighters lost their lives Sunday trying to get control of the Station Fire, which is burning through steep and rugged terrain in the Angeles National Forest. This area north of Los Angeles has not seen a major fire in more than 60 years.
Temperatures will be in the 90s, but they will be lower than the triple-digit highs that, combined with low humidity, caused the fire to explode in size from at least 40,000 acres on Sunday to more than 100,000 acres Monday.
The Station Fire, the largest of at least five burning in the state, consumed more than 62,000 acres in the past 24 hours, the National Interagency Fire Center said early Tuesday.
More than 3,600 firefighters are trying to get a handle on the blaze, which is 5 percent contained, according to the center.
It is unclear what caused the fire, which began Wednesday and has destroyed 53 structures so far. At least 10,000 homes, 500 businesses and 2,000 other structures are threatened. 
Watch as firefighters are forced on the defensive »
At times, flames reached 100 feet into the sky, racing up hillsides just a stone's throw from some houses, destroying some buildings while leaving others unscathed.
"This ridge was really bad; there [were] fire tornadoes going up into the skies," said Mike Sarkissian, describing video footage he shot of the fire raging in Tujunga Canyon, where he rents a home.
In some areas, the fire is scorching miles of land in a matter of hours. It could take another week for firefighters to control the blaze fully, authorities have said. 
See images of the wildfire »
Fire officials have issued mandatory evacuation notices for 10,000 homes under threat. Most residents have heeded the orders and left, but a few stayed behind, including Scott Hanley who was trapped for a while inside his home by a wall of fire.
"It was something you can't even describe, being stuck in a house with the flames and laying on the floor," Hanley said after the fire had moved through the area.
He said firefighters ordered him to "stay down [and] don't move."
The blaze leaked through every crack in the house, he said.
"Every window you look out is just solid wall of flame," Hanley said. "It was like a tornado with fire."
The steep terrain has made it nearly impossible for firefighters to attack the the blaze from the ground. 
See where the fire is burning »
"We are waiting for the fire to burn to a location where we can control it," Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Mark Whaling said. "The same terrain would take you a day to move through, and this fire can move through in two hours. So we can't put our people on the ground in a situation where they can be easily overrun by the fire."
The fire, which has sent thick smoke spiraling as much as 20,000 feet into the air, is creating its own wind patterns, officials said. As a result, it has become unpredictable. 
See how these wildfires grow »
It continues to threaten Mount Wilson Observatory, a key communication point for city and emergency officials, but firefighters have kept the flames at bay.
Weary firefighters labored early Tuesday, hacking away at bone-dry tree limbs and laying down fire retardant as they tried to beat back the 6-day-old wildfire.
Using a bulldozer, they laid down an 8-mile "dozer line" in an effort to contain the fire and stop it from spreading to homes near Acton.
For the first time in California, a Boeing 747 was used on Monday to drop retardant on the blaze, according to Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp.
"Last night there was a lot of progress made," Tripp said early Tuesday. "We're trying to get containment on some critical points that would try to slow down the progression of the fire ... to slow down the threat to some communities."Watch how the fast-moving wildfire has grown »
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Friday as a result of the Station Fire.
"The challenge is going to be going back to reality, because I've been looking at the fire and the mountains from where I am," said Elsa Aguirre, who was at a Red Cross shelter in a high school Monday.
Aguirre, 57, left her ranch home in Altadena early Saturday with her husband and her cat. She took with her a box of mementos, including her mother's tea seat from Argentina.
"The mountains look pretty spooky right now without any vegetation. ... I'm just taking it one day at a time," she said.
CNN's Sonya Hamasaki, Rob Marciano, Chad Myers, John Torigoe and Stephanie Chen contributed to this report.
All AboutCalifornia • Wildfires • Los Angeles
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