The National Weather Service and firefighting teams are expecting more winds and dryness next week to further complicate the efforts to contain the five major wildfires that began burning on Jan. 7, 2025 in Los Angeles County.

The Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Hurst, and Lidia fires are devastating Los Angeles County. At least 10 people have been killed in the blazes, and officials warn that the actual number could increase once investigators are able to access neighborhoods. There have also been “significant injuries.” The wildfires have also led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, as the blazes have spread to about 36,365 acres combined. 

Weather conditions of low humidity and strong winds have been working against firefighters, who were able to make some progress when the Santa Ana winds were weak earlier this week. However, the winds picked up Thursday, Jan. 9, and were expected to remain strong in LA County through Friday afternoon, with another round expected to last from Saturday evening into Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, reports CNN. Next week could be worse, though.

There’s a possibility of “maybe even more robust winds” as far out as next Tuesday, said Don Fregulia, the operations section chief with the California Interagency Management Team 5, reports CNN.

In addition, 10 percent of California, mostly in the south and southeast where Los Angeles County is located, are experiencing severe drought. Air pollution and other hazardous conditions are also affecting residents.

“It’s so dry out there,” Fregulia said to CNN. “It’s very, very dry, and the fuel bed’s very receptive.”

The Palisades and Eaton fires are already among the 10 largest fires recorded in Los Angeles County since 2013, when data is first available, according to a CNN graph. As many as 10,000 structures, including the historic landmarks of the ranch house at the Will Rogers State Historic Park and the Topanga Ranch Motel, have been destroyed between the coastal Palisades fire and the Eaton fire, which essentially razed the community of Altadena. In addition, the Palisades fire is now the most destructive ever to hit Los Angeles County, and experts suspect that the Palisades fire alone could be the costliest in U.S. history.

Many of the evacuees have expressed disbelief over the loss of their homes, possessions, photographs, and family heirlooms. 

Click here for information on the Red Cross’s relief efforts for the California fires.