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Los Angeles braced for near hurricane-force winds on Monday, which meteorologists said could fuel devastating wildfires that have ravaged Southern California over the past week.

While firefighters struggled to contain the fire Deadly fires That continued to rage in the suburbs of the second-largest city in the United States, the National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” warning amid deteriorating conditions.

Winds of up to 75 mph are expected to batter the area Monday night into Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service, along with extremely dry conditions to create “critical fire weather.”

“The National Weather Service expects winds to be near hurricane force, so we are making urgent preparations,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Monday. “My top priority, and everyone’s priority, is to do everything we can to protect lives as these winds approach.”

Since last Tuesday, the authorities have been fighting fires that have destroyed more than 40,000 acres of land. ca Governor Gavin Newsom warned that fires could become the main cause The most expensive disaster in US history He clashed with President-elect Donald Trump over the state’s response.

The cause of the fires has not yet been determined, but lawsuits are expected to escalate in the coming weeks. Shares of utility group Edison International fell 11.9 percent on Monday after Bloomberg reported that it was being sued in a case alleging that equipment owned by its Southern California Edison subsidiary was responsible for starting one of the fires. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The largest outbreaks, Pacific Barriers The fires were only 14% contained by Monday morning local time, raising concerns that strong storms in the coming days could reverse progress made in fighting the fires.

The National Weather Service warned Monday to “do nothing that could start a fire” and warned that strong winds could lead to “explosive fire growth.”

The death toll had reached 24 by Monday, and was expected to rise as authorities combed through the wreckage for missing people, officials said.

Firefighters from Los Angeles and across the state were in “proactive and strategic mode to save lives” in hard-hit areas, Bass said. About 5,000 firefighters were stationed in the Palisades area and another 3,000 at the Eaton fire near Altadena.

The disaster spread to the political arena, as Trump on Sunday attacked state authorities for failing to stop the destruction. “The fires are still burning in Los Angeles, and incompetent politicians have no idea how to put them out,” he wrote on his Truth Social network.

The incoming Republican president accused the California governor, a Democrat, of depleting water reserves to protect endangered fish species, and refused to sign the “Water Restoration Declaration.” Newsom’s office said there was no such announcement.

“I don’t think this misinformation and disinformation is helping or helping any of us,” Newsom told NBC. Learn about journalism He indicated that he invited the president-elect to visit the affected areas, but he has not yet received a response. “To respond to Donald Trump’s insults, we will spend another month.”

Meanwhile, city officials have warned of price gougers who have raised rental property prices as thousands flee their homes.

Local news site LAist found that a Zillow listing for a furnished home in Bel Air is going for $29,500 a month — 86 percent higher than it was in September.

Cartography by Stephen Bernard