California wildfires highlights: Santa Ana winds pick up speed; New fire erupts in Ventura County

The dangerous Santa Ana winds pose a risk of further fuelling the monstrous Palisades and Eaton Fire.

California wildfires highlights: The raging wildfires across Los Angeles claimed the lives of at least 24 people, with the toll likely to mount as several others remain missing. The monstrous fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, forcing over 150,000 to flee their homes. Data from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection showed that only 14 per cent of the Palisades Fire has been contained so far, while Eaton Fire is under 33 per cent containment.

Meanwhile, Hurst Fire, which spread across 799 acres, is almost contained (97 per cent).

A new blaze, 'Auto Fire' erupted in the Ventura County neighbourhood late on Monday and spread over 56 acres, with zero per cent of the fire under containment.

Firefighters braced for the dangerous Santa Ana winds, which picked up speed early on Tuesday. As per the National Weather Service's forecast, dry Santa Ana wind gusts of 45 to 70 miles per hour (72 to f112 kph) were forecast to continue through Wednesday.

California wildfires | Key points

• California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was launching a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild the ravaged city. “We already have a team looking at reimagining L.A. 2.0,” he said.
• Santa Ana winds picked up speed early on Tuesday, with the possibility of gusts hitting 75 mph (120 kph), and are expected to persist through Wednesday.
• Just under 100,000 residents continue to remain under evacuation orders, which is half the number from last week. Meanwhile, another 1,66,000 residents have been warned of potential evacuation.
• The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also warned that it could deliberately cut power for safety purposes in the coming days as wind speeds picked up, posing serious risk for new fires in the region.
• A new blaze ‘Auto Fire’ erupted in Ventura County late on Monday. The fire has so far spread across 56 acres of land, CAL Fire data showed.