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.

Updating maps of Southern California show where wildfires, including the Palisades and Eaton fires, are burning across Los Angeles.

Fires that have been burning homes and businesses in Los Angeles for a week have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands of others and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

The return of strong Santa Ana winds, with gusts over 60 mph will persist through Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. That's unwelcome news for firefighters still struggling to contain multiple blazes that are still threatening homes in the Los Angeles region.

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.

The death toll surged late Sunday with an update from the Los Angeles County medical examiner. At least 16 people were missing, a number authorities said was also likely to rise.

At least 24 people have died and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong winds, rage across the Los Angeles area. Thousands of firefighters are battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County.