Southern California is braced for "extremely critical fire conditions" caused by a new period of Santa Ana winds today through Wednesday across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as the battle to contain rampant blazes goes on.

The Auto Fire has burned nearly 61 acres in Ventura, California Monday night and was at 47% containment Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters braced for high winds, with the National Weather Service of LA issuing its most serious advisory, “Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS)".

The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow down the mountains toward the Southern California coast. The region sees about 10 Santa Ana wind events a year on average, typically occurring from fall into January. When conditions are dry, as they are right now, these winds can become a severe fire hazard.

Multiple counties in Southern California were under red flag warnings from the NWS early Monday, with the service warning of yet another round of Santa Ana winds.

The potentially hazardous conditions are expected Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to the NWS.

The fire ignited in Pacific Palisades amid "a life-threatening, destructive, widespread windstorm," officials said.

One of the biggest stories of 2025 thus far has been the wildfires in California. A common occurrence in that state, wildfires are often fueled by a combination of drought and terrain. The terrain allows for the development of Santa Ana winds that cause any fire to spread very quickly.

Another round of fire weather could last for much of next week in Southern California, bringing new dangers as Pacific Palisades, Altadena and surrounding communities struggle to assess the damage of devastating wildfires earlier this month.

Firefighters are working around the clock to contain the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate when the blazes ignited and destroyed more than 12,000 structures. Here are the latest updates.

At least 24 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, continue to rage across Southern California, leaving fire crews scrambling to contain the historic destruction.