L.A. is bracing for the return of more powerful winds as fires continue to burn

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Firefighters are bracing for more Santa Ana winds as they continue to battle multiple fires in Los Angeles that have left several people dead and burned thousands of structures.

The gusty winds that helped propel the fires are forecast to continue through Tuesday and likely Wednesday across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, with low humidity creating critical fire conditions, according to the National Weather Service.

“#SantaAnaWind combined with dry air and very dry vegetation will maintain high WILDFIRE RISK through Wednesday,” the NWS Los Angeles office wrote in a post Saturday on X.

Red flag warnings have been issued through Wednesday, with 30 to 50 mph wind gusts expected and 50 to 75 mph wind gusts in wind-prone mountains and foothills through at least Tuesday, according to the NWS.

A red flag warning means there are conditions for an increased risk of fire: a combination of very low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds.

At least 153,000 people have been forced to evacuate and another 166,000 people were under evacuation warnings as of Saturday, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. On Saturday, Los Angeles County officials said they changed the county’s alert and notification system to partner with the state’s alert center while they investigate the cause behind the false evacuation alerts sent to more than 10 million Angelenos last week.

What to know

• Authorities are investigating at least 16 deaths from the fires — 11 from the Eaton Fire and five from the Palisades Fire. Search and rescue efforts for missing persons related to the fires began Saturday morning.
• Roughly 40,000 acres have been burned in the Eaton, Palisades, Kenneth and Hurst fires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Homes and businesses are among the more than 12,000 structures that have been destroyed and officials expect more in the coming days. As are many houses of worship.
• According to the latest figures from Cal Fire, the Eaton Fire has spread to more than 14,000 acres and is 27% contained. The Palisades Fire is at more than 23,000 acres and 11% contained. The Kenneth Fire was fully contained after burning more than 1,000 acres, while the nearly 800 acre Hurst Fire was 89% contained.

• Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told Weekend Edition Sunday that over 24,000 people have already applied for disaster assistance. That number is expected to rise, Criswell said. Criswell also corrected a statement President-elect Donald Trump made last week on his Truth Social platform that FEMA had run out of money. “That is absolutely false,” Criswell said.
• A curfew is in place from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. inside the Palisades and Eaton fire evacuation zones until further notice in response to concerns of burglaries and looting in evacuated areas.

• Several drinking water advisories have been issued. A “do not drink” order was issued for most of northern Pasadena after the Eaton Fire damaged pump stations and reservoirs. A “do not drink” notice was also issued for areas in the Pacific Palisades and communities north of San Vicente Blvd under evacuation orders. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said it issued the notice because of “the potential of fire-related contaminants that may have entered the water system.” Parts of northern Pasadena have also been warned to not use tap water for drinking, cooking, hand washing or bathing until they’ve gotten a release from the water district, the city said on Saturday.

The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to LAist’s coverage for the latest.

NPR’s Alana Wise, Juliana Kim, Emma Bowman and Ayesha Rascoe contributed to this report.