Los Angeles braces for fires to get even worse with 'extremely dangerous' wind forecasts for the next two days

• Los Angeles is bracing for high winds that could worsen ongoing wildfires.
• The fires have burned 40,000 acres and destroyed 12,300 structures. Authorities reported 24 dead.
• Evacuation orders are in effect for more than 92,000 people as fires threaten more areas.

After nearly a week of wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, the area is bracing for worsening conditions as high winds on Monday threaten to spread the flames.

The fires have burned through more than 40,000 acres in Los Angeles County, displaced hundreds of thousands of residents, and killed at least 24 people. More than 12,300 structures have been destroyed, local authorities have said.

Firefighters made some progress containing the blazes over the weekend — the Palisades Fire, the largest, is 14% contained, and the Eaton Fire, the second-largest, is 33% contained as of Monday afternoon, according to Cal Fire, a state agency.

But strong Santa Ana winds are forecast to pick up again Monday and Tuesday, with gusts up to 75 miles an hour creating "extremely dangerous fire weather conditions" across coastal southern California, the National Weather Service said.

The NWS said these high winds have the potential to cause widespread power outages, worsen existing firefighting efforts, and make the ignition of new fires much more likely.

The NWS issued a "particularly dangerous situation red flag warning" for parts of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties through Wednesday. The red flag warning signals fire danger. Though the winds aren't expected to reach the same highs as last week, they still pose "a high risk for large fires with potential for very rapid spreading of any fires that may develop."

The fires are predicted to become the worst natural disaster in US history, and the death toll will likely rise, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday.

"I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope," Newsom told NBC's Meet the Press. "I've got search-and-rescue teams out. We've got cadaver dogs out. And there's likely to be a lot more."

Around 92,000 people near the Palisades and Eaton fires are under evacuation orders, and another 89,000 are under evacuation warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Monday morning press conference.

Palisades Fire

The Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades area north of Santa Monica has burned through over 23,700 acres and was 14% contained as of Monday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.

The cause of the fire, which started on Tuesday morning, is still under investigation. It threatens to spread into Brentwood, Encino, and Westwood.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office has reported eight deaths tied to the Palisades fire so far.

Eaton Fire

The Eaton Fire, which has devastated parts of Pasadena and Altadena since it began on Tuesday, has now burned through more than 14,100 acres, according to Cal Fire. It is 33% contained as of Monday afternoon.

"In my career, I've never seen the amount of devastation and destruction that exists here. So, a lot of work. It's going to be long-term," Ernie Villa, an operations section chief for the California Interagency Incident Management Team, said at a Sunday press conference.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office has reported 16 deaths tied to the Eaton fire so far.

Hurst Fire and others

The Hurst Fire, which began late on Tuesday night in the northern part of the San Fernando Valley, spread to 799 acres and is 95% contained as of Monday morning, Cal Fire said.

Though the fire has been mostly controlled, Los Angeles City's Fire Chief Kristin Crowley warned Monday morning, "We are not in the clear as of yet." She added, "We must not let our guard down, as we have right now extreme fire behavior."

Several other fires have also sparked over the last week, together burning more than 1,400 acres.

The Kenneth Fire erupted at the Victory Trailhead near the border of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties on Thursday, burning just over 1,000 acres before it was fully contained.

The Sunset Fire broke out in the Runyon Canyon area of the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday, quickly spreading to scorch over 40 acres and threaten major LA landmarks before it was fully suppressed.

A large structure fire consumed two large homes in the Studio City area but firefighters were able to stop its forward growth at just one acre and prevent another brushfire, Crowley said.

Yet another fire, the Lidia Fire, started Wednesday in Acton near the Antelope Valley, about 20 miles northeast of the San Fernando Valley. It consumed 395 acres but is now 100% contained, according to CalFire.

The Woodley Fire, which began Wednesday in the southern part of the San Fernando Valley, burned 30 acres before it was contained.

Bad actors are taking advantage of the situation by looting

LA officials have reported instances of looting, burglary, and other crimes in wildfire-ravaged areas.

Luna, LA County's sheriff, said at Monday's press conference that his officers have made 34 total arrests — 30 in the Eaton Fire area and 4 in the Palisades Fire area.

Those arrests were related to burglary, looting, illegal drone operations, people entering restricted areas with guns and narcotics, and curfew violations, Luna said.

LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said Monday that his officers had made an additional 14 arrests related to the fires — for things like felony vandalism, impersonating a firefighter, possession of burglary tools, and shoplifting.

In at least one instance, which is under investigation, an individual near the scene of the Palisades fire wore a firefighting jacket and helmet in the course of an attempted burglary, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said during a Monday afternoon press conference.

"This behavior is despicable. We cannot tolerate it, and as we continue to help people heal through this suffering, we cannot allow people to pray on the devastation that has already happened," Horvath said. "And I want to be clear that goes not only for individuals who are preying on these locations, but also for the corporations and the businesses and the price gouging and the ways that they're taking advantage of people in this very difficult moment."

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office had already seen instances of price gouging for medical supplies and hotels, as well as landlords overcharging above the legal limit. During a state of emergency, businesses are prohibited from raising their prices on essential goods and services above 10% beyond what's normal.

"For the criminals who view this as an opportunity, let me again give you this warning, an absolutely unmistakably clear warning, that if you go ahead and you want to rip off people and the system and governments that are trying to help the people who have suffered from these tragedies, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and we will seek maximum punishment against you," Hochman said Monday.

Jason Oppenheim, the star of "Selling Sunset" who co-runs real estate brokerage the Oppenheim Group, has also reported seeing landlords engaging in suspected price gouging.

Hochman also urged residents to be vigilant against scams related to the recovery efforts, like possibly fake GoFundMe fundraisers and insurance scams.

California's insurance crisis will only grow

The devastating fires this week will likely only worsen California's ongoing insurance crisis, where many homebuyers already struggle to get approved for loans, home insurance, and fire insurance — even in areas outside the typical risk zones.

And while some insurance companies have stopped signing new policies in the region entirely, there are other ways companies try to cut down on disaster payouts.

Some companies go so far as to hire private firms to protect their policyholders' homes, both before a fire breaks out and after it has passed.

David Torgerson, the CEO of Wildfire Defense Systems, previously told Business Insider that his company partners with dozens of carriers to seek to protect homes before they are in the line of fire — and that his employees have been "actively working" to help combat the LA wildfires.

"We are typically working hours in advance, or days in advance of the fire passing over a property, and we call that the pre-suppression," Torgerson told BI. "We're preparing the property to survive the amount of time that the fire is in proximity to the structure, and then we quickly come back in after the fire is passed to secure the property."

His company takes proactive steps to fire-proof homes, like applying fire-blocking gels, removing flammable materials, cleaning out gutters, and running sprinkler systems, according to a company fact sheet. After a fire has passed through a neighborhood, Torgerson's staff go back to insured homes to extinguish remaining spot fires and assess further risk, he said.

And while some homeowners pay high premiums for special fire protection perks, it's not only the wealthy whose homes are protected by these services.

Celebrities and many others have lost their homes

The Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles has long been a draw for celebrities. Some Hollywood stars lost their homes in the Palisades Fire.

Paris Hilton, Milo Ventimiglia, Billy Crystal, Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, and Anthony Hopkins all said the fire had destroyed their houses.

Of course, not everyone in the area is a celebrity. One 22-year-old renter told Business Insider that she'd had to evacuate her apartment in the Pacific Palisades — and feared that everything could be lost after seeing news footage showing buildings on her street that had burned.

A journalist and her husband and their two daughters told BI they evacuated their Palisades home on January 7 — only to find out later that the fires destroyed everything. They're now staying in a hotel.

Meanwhile, an $83 million mansion that had been featured in HBO's "Succession" also was destroyed.

LAX is open, as is Disneyland — but some attractions are closed

Los Angeles International Airport is open and is "operating normally," the airport said.

LAX has remained open throughout the fires, though over the weekend, around 500 flights were delayed, and around 13 were canceled.

The airport said customers should check with their airline to make sure there are no issues before starting their journeys.

Los Angeles attracts around 50 million tourists each year — and visitors to the area will find some things aren't open. Disneyland was open as of Monday, as was Universal Studios Hollywood. Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Hollywood said it would be closed through Tuesday.

The famous Griffith Park and its Griffith Observatory were both listed as closed through at least Wednesday. And Lake Hollywood Park, a city park beneath the famed Hollywood sign, also was closed.

The Getty Center said it would be closed through Thursday. The Getty Villa survived the Palisades fire.

The Santa Monica Pier was open, but warned of air-quality issues on its website. AccuWeather listed the air quality in the area as "poor" as of Monday morning local time.

This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates.