Firefighters held the line against two massive wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles for the past week, even as desert winds and a parched landscape presented extremely hazardous conditions.

Forecasters expect strong Santa Ana winds to return to the Los Angeles area this week with gusts up to 70 miles an hour in some places, putting firefighters in a race against time to control massive blazes that have killed 24 people and destroyed more than 12,