LOS ANGELES: Firefighters in Los Angeles braced on Tuesday for the return of dry, intense winds that could recharge two monstrous wildfires that have already killed 24 people, levelled entire neighbourhoods and scorched an area the size of Washington.

Much of Los Angeles and Ventura county could experience gusts of 50 to 70mph on Wednesday as dangerous Santa Ana winds picked up after relative calm since late last week, according to the National Weather Service.

The red flag warning, which the weather service designated as a rare “particularly dangerous situation,” raised fears that new fires could ignite and existing blazes could reenergise.

“This setup is about as bad as it gets,” Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told local residents. “We are not in the clear.”

In anticipation of the winds, more than 8,500 firefighters attacked the two biggest existing wildfires from the air and on the ground, aiming to prevent them from spreading overnight.

State authorities on Monday pre-positioned firefighting crews in Los Angeles and other southern California counties that were under elevated fire danger.

The Palisades and Eaton fires erupted on the city’s western and eastern flanks during last week’s intense winds but crews made progress in controlling them since the weekend.

At least 24 people have died, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, but the death toll will likely rise, officials said, as crews carry out house-to-house searches in burnt-out neighbourhoods.

“We thank God we’re safe, but we don’t know what’s next,” said Altadena resident John Adolph, 48, a video producer who, along with his wife and two children, have been staying with friends since they lost their home in the Eaton fire a week ago.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025