Watch terrifying moment FIRENADOS rage through LA hills as firefighters face crucial 48hr window to finally stop blazes

TERRIFYING footage from the LA hills shows fire tornadoes raging across the Pacific Palisades and igniting new fires as firefighters brace for more devastation.

Several regions of California have been decimated by the raging infernos that have claimed the lives of 24 people and seen over 100,000 flee their homes.

The Palisades Fire which has torn through 23,713 acres of land and killed eight people in less than a week is one of the most destructive blazes in Californian history.

Now, as fears rise for further destruction with severe winds forecast for the days ahead, shocking footage shows how high winds and extreme temperatures create terrifying firenados.

One clip taken by a news chopper above the San Fernando Valley shows raging fires being whipped up by the wind into tornado-like funnels.

While the fires on the ground continue to burn, the flames picked up by the wind elongate high into the sky and whip around threatening to set alight anything that was previously out of reach.

This phenomenon also known as fire devils is caused when fires and raging so intensely that they can create their own weather system thanks to extreme heat and changing air pressures.

KCAL News Meteorologist Dani Ruberti explained: “The heat is so incredibly intense that the air starts to rise and it starts to pull in the surrounding air … kind of creating that spinning vortex.

“The particles in there, they’re moving faster than on the outside, and that’s what causes the air to spin faster and give that look of a tornado.”

Ruberti noted how these firenados can go hundreds of feet into the air but that this only lasts for a few minutes at a time.

But with just 13 per cent of the Palisades blaze contained after six days, the Pasadena fire chief has warned that more fires could continue to take off as the region reaches a “fork in the road.”

The future of what happens regarding these devastating fires all sits in the next 48 hours.

Chad Augustin told the BBC: “Once we get past Wednesday night I’m going to be saying, ‘wooh, we made it and this fire is just about under control’ and then we’re going to spent the next couple of weeks just mopping up hotspots and embers – or this fire’s going to take off on Tuesday or Wednesday with these increased wind conditions.”

It’s “all hands on deck” as 5,000 firefighters working on the Palisades blaze alone hope to “keep gaining containment on the fire.”

But, the weather is not on their side with the National Weather Service for Los Angeles warning of a “particularly dangerous situation” as it warns people to brace for “explosive fire growth.”

Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service told the LA Times: “There will be the potential for explosive fire growth as those winds pick back up.”

The NWS issued a red flag warning for three areas across Ventura and West Los Angeles County which is the same severity as the hurricane-force gusts that struck the region last week.

Some 50mph gusts are expected to affect most of the coastal areas but could reach up to 70mph in the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura.

As a result of this forecast which the agency called “critical fire weather,” it noted that the severe winds could cause a new set of fires to start, threatening new neighborhoods.

Cal Fire’s battalion chief Brent Pascua has revealed how firefighters are working relentlessly to not only put out the raging flames but to extinguish the embers which are a significant threat during high winds.

He told the BBC how the choppers releasing fire retardant and water over the area are dousing places even without smoke or flames to stop the embers from being picked up and carried off to start new fires.

Pascua told how his team have to “churn up the dirt so that we can expose the hot embers and ash that lay just beneath the surface before the winds get here and blow them over our fire line.”

With these new fears of fresh fires, those who have been evacuated from their homes have been barred by officials from returning before Thursday at the earliest.

It comes as a report claims that the Palisades blaze could have been started by fireworks from New Year’s Eve.

The Washington Post has reported that scorch marks left by an earlier fire believed to have been started by fireworks could have been rekindled by strong winds.

Three wildfires remain uncontained and are still spreading in the areas of Hurst, Palisades and Eaton, officials have confirmed.

Another 1,000 troops are being sent in to help tackle the wildfires as Governor Gavin Newsom announces that they will be joined by around 2,500 California National Guard members.

Over 15,000 firefighters have been battling the blazes with help from highway officers and transportation teams.

More than 1,350 fire engines and 80 aircraft have been used to pour dowse the towering infernos.

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna described some parts of the county as looking “like warzones” as he gave an update in a daily briefing.

He said the wildfires are likely to be the worst natural disaster in US history in terms of “cost… scale and scope”.

As well as emergency evacuation notices, civilians have been issued warnings about drinking tap water in certain areas impacted by the fires.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power issued a “do not drink” notices for two postcodes near the Palisades fire, NBC News reports.

Fire-related contaminants, including benzene and other volatile organic compounds, could have found their way into the water systems which connect to the houses.

Meanwhile, satellite pictures have revealed whole blocks of homes in Los Angeles have been burned to rubble by the wildfires.

The images show before, during, and after the uncontrolled blazes burned through LA homes and celebrity enclaves.