Days of ‘Particularly Dangerous’ Winds Loom as Death Toll Rises to 24 in Los Angeles Wildfires

The warning level “is one of the loudest ways that we can shout,” the National Weather Service says

A fire fighting helicopter drops water as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood and Encino, California, on January 11, 2025. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the Los Angeles fires, spread toward previously untouched neighborhoods January 11, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control. Across the city, at least 11 people have died as multiple fires have ripped through residential areas since January 7, razing thousands of homes in destruction that US President Joe Biden likened to a "war scene." (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)

JD Knapp

January 13, 2025 @ 6:00 AM

UPDATE 5 p.m.
Firefighters battling to save Los Angeles braced for “particularly dangerous” winds as early as Monday night that threatened to reverse gains crews achieved during a weekend of relative atmospheric calm. The National Weather Service issued a rare fire danger alert based on extreme winds expected Tuesday and Wednesday, with gusts only somewhat weaker than the hurricane-force winds that sparked up the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires on Jan. 7. While the worst sustained winds were expected after sunrise Tuesday, winds were forecast to start picking up overnight, a critical time as the largest fires are still only partially contained.

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