California wildfires: Los Angeles braces for dangerous Santa Ana winds; Donald Trump likely to visit

California wildfires updates: At least 24 people have lost their lives to the wildfires that have ripped through Los Angeles city in California, with the toll expected to mount amid the battle with the blaze.

Firefighters have braced for high winds, as the Santa Ana winds are expected to return and further fuel the two monstrous wildfires that have already turned entire neighbourhoods to ashes.

Meanwhile, data from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection showed that 40,588 acres of land have been burned in the blazes so far, and more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed across Los Angeles.

The dry Santa Ana winds, expected to further fuel the already destructive wildfires, at gusts of 45 to 70 miles per hour were predicted to return on Monday and persist through Wednesday by the National Weather Service. Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the agency, said that weather conditions could improve in the second half of the week and into the weekend, adding that a red-flag warning will be in place till Wednesday, a CNN report said.

The wildfires, so far, have claimed the lives of at least 24 persons while several others remained missing. Officials said that amid the continued battle with the blaze, the death toll was likely to increase.

The National Weather Service also issued its most serious advisory, the “Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS)” warnings. The agency’s website flash the full title in hot pink letters against a gray background. This rare alert is aimed at grabbing the attention of extreme wildfire risk that is forecast to begin in southern California early Tuesday.

US President-elect Donald Trump, set to take charge at the Oval Office on January 20, is likely to visit the blaze-torn city late next week to take a survey of the damage caused by the wind-whipped wildfires and assess emergency needs, Reuters reported citing a source. The timing and other details are yet to be finalised.

According to CAL Fire data, the Palisades Fire has destroyed more than 23,000 acres of land and only 14 per cent of the blaze has been contained so far. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire burnt down over 14,000 acres of land, with 33 per cent of the blaze under control. Lastly, the Hurst Fire, spread across nearly 800 acres of land, has been largely contained (95 per cent).

Outgoing president Joe Biden conveyed condolences for the lost lives and announced additional disaster assistance for California, covering costs for removal of the fire debris and emergency protective measures. However, he said the Congress “needs to step up” and provide funding as it will cost tens of billions of dollars to get the LA city fully back on its feet.

A firefighting plane, which was damaged due to collision with an unauthorised drone during an operation over the Palisades Fire last week, has been repaired, said LA County fire chief Anthony Marrone. He noted that the plane is expected to return to work on Tuesday amid the continued battle against the raging fires.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that it was trying to identify the operator of the drone that struck the firefighting plane last Thursday. The investigating agency said the drone was flying in violation of the temporary flight restrictions from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Several celebrities and popular firms came forward to help bring relief in Los Angeles, with Heavy metal band Metallica donating $500,000 Beyoncé contributing $2.5 million to the newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund created by her charitable foundation ‘BeyGOOD’.

The non-profit fundraising group Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS also awarded $500,000 in emergency grants to LA residents and first responders. Netflix and Comcast NBCUniversal combined pledged $20 million to organisations offering aid to the wildfire victims in LA.

CAL Fire director Joe Tyler, at a press conference on Monday, said that over 15,000 first responders were now involved in the works against the raging wildfires across Southern California. Tyler, as cited by CNN, said that responders were from all over the state, including the West, Midwest, central US, and Canada and Mexico.