Fire-hit LA faces new peril as dangerous winds ramp up

LOS ANGELES, United States: Powerful winds on Tuesday threatened to rekindle and whip up major fires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles, killing at last 24 people and changing the face of America´s second biggest city -- perhaps forever.

A week after blazes erupted and spread uncontained, forecasters predicted “particularly dangerous” Santa Ana winds would spike the wildfire threat anew for already exhausted firefighters.

“Stay aware of your surroundings. Be ready to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire,” the National Weather Service warned.

A large part of Southern California was under a Red Flag warning, indicating that intense dryness and furious winds gusting up to 110-kms an hour would make conditions ripe for wildfire.

Part of Los Angeles County and much of neighboring Ventura County were in a “Particularly Dangerous Situation,” according to the NWS, a designation that was also declared before last week´s deadly blazes.