Southern California is braced for "extremely critical fire conditions" caused by a new period of Santa Ana winds of up to 50 mph.

Los Angeles firefighters braced on Tuesday for a new round of intense winds that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already killed at least 24 people, leveled entire neighborhoods and scorched an area the size of Washington,

Southern California is braced for "extremely critical fire conditions" caused by a new period of Santa Ana winds today through Wednesday across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as the battle to contain rampant blazes goes on.

Massive fires continue burning after igniting in the foothills of Pacific Palisades, and Altadena, forcing thousands to evacuate amid a life-threatening and destructive windstorm slamming Southern California.

Firefighters around Los Angeles were preparing on Tuesday to attack flare-ups or new blazes. The National Weather Service issued a rare warning that dry winds combined with severely dry conditions created a “ particularly dangerous situation,