The Los Angeles fires death toll has skyrocketed to 24 amid warnings hellish weather conditions will spur on the raging infernos for at least three more days.
Meteorologists warned residents in fire-ravaged evacuation zones that ‘life threatening’ winds reaching 70mph will pick up on Sunday night and last through to Wednesday, heightening the risk for fires to spread even further across Southern California.
‘The general duration of this is not looking good,’ meteorologist Rose Schoenfield warned.
The weather warning also prevents locals from returning home to inspect the damage, and makes it more challenging for first responders sifting through the ash and debris searching for dozens of people who remain unaccounted for.
Four fires have burned through 40,000 acres across the most affluent neighborhoods in LA, with A-list celebrity homes and restaurant hotspots among the 12,300 structures wiped out.
The Los Angeles medical examiner updated the death count on Sunday afternoon, revealing 24 people are now confirmed dead as a result of the fires.
