THE massive wildfire in some parts of Los Angeles, California has already taken the lives of at least 24 people while firefighters continue to combat the blaze that is heading toward the unaffected communities.

Sixteen of the casualties are from Eaton while the remaining eight were from Palisades, the most ravaged area.

Sixteen persons were reportedly missing, and the number is expected to rise in the coming days.

Authorities in California have also warned that the strong winds will fuel the flame, with the dry Santa Ana winds expected to pick up again until Wednesday reaching 60 mph or 96 km/ hour.

Weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson said the gusts in the mountain may reach to 70 mph or 113 kph, and the most threatening day could be on Tuesday, warning authorities and the public to beware and prepare.

Firefighters feared that this wind would whip up the embers, expanding to new areas after it had already ruined thousands of houses and other structures from the previous communities in Palisades, which has now burnt more than 23,000 acres and in Eaton with 14,000 turned to ruins.

In Hurst, the blaze has swallowed 799 acres, but the fire has been almost fully controlled. In Palisades and Eaton, 13% and 27% of the fire have been contained, respectively.

Although firemen have already made progress in containing some parts of the conflagrations, authorities warned of the incoming wind that might trigger again the blaze.

“Unfortunately, we're going right back into red flag conditions with some potential disastrous wind conditions between now and Wednesday, with the peak winds expected to be on Tuesday," Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin, as per BBC report.

The historic wildfire in Los Angeles has already caused around $275 billion in financial losses, according to Private forecaster Accuweather.(LAO)

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• # Los Angeles California
• #Wildfire
• #Firefighters
• #Eaton
• #Palisades
• #Santa Ana winds
• #Casualties