Los Angeles supports ‘explosive fire growth’ as ​​high winds approach.

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Weather forecasters on Monday called for “hurricane-like” winds, which Los Angeles said could fuel the devastating wildfires that ravaged Southern California last week.

As firefighters struggle to control Deadly fires The National Weather Service has issued a “red flag alert” as conditions continue to worsen in the suburbs of America’s second largest city.

Winds of up to 75 mph are expected to hit the region Monday night into Wednesday morning, the NWS said, combining extremely dry conditions to create “dangerous fire weather.”

“The National Weather Service is predicting it will reach hurricane force levels, and so we’re making emergency preparations,” LA Mayor Karen Bass said. My main concern, and everyone’s priority, is to do everything we can to protect life as these winds approach.

Officials have battled the blaze, which has burned more than 40,000 acres since last Tuesday. California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that the fire could be The most expensive disaster in American history As he clashed with President Donald Trump over the state’s response.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but charges are expected to be filed in the coming weeks. Shares of Edison International, a utility group, fell 12 percent after Bloomberg reported that Southern California Edison-owned equipment was accused of igniting one of the fires. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The largest of the epidemics, Pacific Palisades The blaze, which was only 14 percent contained as of Monday morning local time, raised fears that strong winds in the coming days could alter progress in fighting the blaze.

“Do not do anything that could ignite a fire,” the NWS warned, warning that strong winds could cause “explosive fire growth.”

Officials said the death toll had risen to 24 as of Monday and was expected to rise as officials combed through the rubble to search for missing people.

Firefighters from LA and across the state are in a “active and strategic position to save lives” in hard-hit areas, Bass said. About 5,000 firefighters are stationed at the Eaton fire in the Palisades area and another 3,000 near Altadena.

The disaster spilled over into the political arena, with Trump on Sunday attacking state officials for failing to stop the disaster. “The fire is still burning in LA, the incompetent police don’t know how to put it out,” he posted on the reality social network.

The incoming Republican president accused California’s Democrat governor of depleting water supplies and refusing to sign a “water restoration declaration” to protect endangered fish species. Newsom’s office said there was no such statement.

“I don’t think that misinformation and misinformation is going to benefit or help any of us,” Newsom told NBC. Contact the press On Sunday, the President-elect had invited him to visit the affected areas, but he said he had not yet received a response. “We’re going to spend another month responding to Donald Trump’s insults.”

Meanwhile, as thousands of people fled their homes, city officials warned price gougers, raising prices for rental properties.

LAist, a local news site, found a Zillow listing for a home in Bel Air for $29,500 a month — up 86 percent from September.

Cartography by Steven Bernard