Strong winds on Wednesday are raising fears that they will fuel the fires raging in the Los Angeles area, which have resulted in at least 25 deaths.
A week after the fires broke out and spread at lightning speed in the second-largest American city, meteorologists are warning of the intensification of the seasonal winds known as Santa Ana, which are considered "particularly dangerous".
It is common for these winds to blow in the autumn and winter in California, but this time they reached unprecedented strength since 2011, reaching speeds of 160 kilometres per hour last week.
The National Weather Service said: "Stay alert... and be prepared to evacuate, and avoid anything that might cause a fire," warning of winds that could reach speeds of 110 kilometres per hour on Wednesday between 3:00 (11:00 GMT) and 15:00 (23:00 GMT).
Meteorologists, who have placed a large part of Southern California on red alert, indicated that the very low humidity rate and the extremely dry vegetation after eight months without rainfall could lead to "super-fast spread of fires" in some locations.
Renewed danger
Several locations in the Los Angeles area and entire parts of the neighbouring Ventura area have become "in a particularly dangerous situation," according to the weather service, which used the same expression used before last week's fires.
Meteorologist Ryan Kittell said in statements to Agence France-Presse that "the entire vegetation is really dry and susceptible to ignition, hence... fires can break out quickly".
The fire hotspots in Palisades and Eaton, which are still active in some locations, may ignite again, and the scope of the fires may expand quickly, Kittell warned.
The two largest fires extended for about 9,700 hectares in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighbourhood and more than 5,700 in the city of Altadena, north of Los Angeles.
The authorities confirmed their readiness to face new threats, while fire hydrants have dried up in recent days.
Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said: "We checked the water system in the Eaton fire area and it is in service, which means we have water and pressure".
Toxic ash
Health services recommend everyone wear masks to protect against the toxic ash carried by the wind.
Anish Mahajan, from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, stressed that "the ash does not only carry soil, but is dangerous fine dust that may lead to irritation of the respiratory system and other organs in the body or damage them".
California Governor Gavin Newsom instructed the crews tasked with clearing debris to prepare to intervene, while the emergency service expects storms accompanied by rain that may cause mudflows.
Some residents of Palisades decided not to wait and to take on the removal of debris from the streets themselves.
Chuck Hart, who runs a company, was working with his crew at a construction site in his neighbourhood when the fire broke out; after saving his mother's house from the flames, he began clearing debris from the streets with his crew, and said:
"Since then we have been working non-stop... and we will do our best to rehabilitate the area as quickly as possible".
As for Jeff Ridgeway, who refused to leave the apartment complex he manages in Pacific Palisades, he revealed to Agence France-Presse that he kept the fire away from the site by filling buckets from the swimming pool to extinguish the flames that had ignited in a nearby eucalyptus tree.
The sixty-year-old man admitted that it was like "war. But I persevered and fought".
Massive destruction
The fires caused massive damage, destroying more than 12,000 homes, buildings, and vehicles or causing damage to them, and consuming entire neighbourhoods.
These fires, which are considered the worst in California's history, may be the most expensive ever, with damage ranging between 250 and 275 billion dollars, according to preliminary estimates by the "AccuWeather" group;
They caused the evacuation of about 88,000 people, and the death of at least 25, according to a new toll.
Residents whose homes survived the fires feel resentment at their inability to return to their homes; others lost all their possessions.
Fred Boucher told Agence France-Presse: "I know my house burned down, I saw pictures, and nothing remains of it but the chimney. But I need to see the site with my own eyes to believe what happened".
It is still difficult for many to comprehend the scale of the disaster.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass admitted for her part that she did not truly comprehend the scale of the repercussions until she saw the damage from a helicopter that flew over the city.
Bass said: "Following events on television is one thing and seeing them from the air is another; the massive destruction cannot be imagined before actually seeing it".
On Tuesday, an investigation was opened to determine the causes of the fires at the federal level.
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