Containing wildfires—never mind extinguishing them—in parched and windy conditions can be monstrously difficult. Dry vegetation is rocket fuel for blazes and wind both feeds the flames and spreads the embers. “The winds are like pointing an air blower at a fireplace,” says Gershunov, “except it’s not contained and it’s on a much larger scale.”

High winds have been a key ingredient of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, and after a brief lull they are forecast to intensify through the middle of the week. That’s certain to complicate the fight against blazes that have killed at least two dozen people,

Dangerous Santa Ana winds are returning to the Los Angeles area as crews continue their work to get a handle on deadly wildfires across the region. FOX Business Correspondent Max Gorden was in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday and broke down the latest information as well as explaining the difference between fire containment and active fire.

Three new wildfires have started in southern California since Monday as dry conditions and destructive winds continued to create a high fire risk in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. At least 24 people have been killed in the disaster and dozens more are missing.

New wildfires have erupted in California as thousands of firefighters continue their work to extinguish other deadly blazes that have been raging across the Los Angeles area since last week.

Four large fires are currently burning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection: the Palisades Fire, which has burned 23,713 acres and is 17% contained;

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said Tuesday that “life-threatening and destructive and widespread winds” are in the region, which could fuel the growth of new or existing wildfires in Los Angeles County and Ventura County.