Law enforcement and prosecutors are geared up for scammers who are expected to exploit relief for victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires.

After a weekend of reprieve allowing fire teams to continue making progress battling the deadly infernos burning in Los Angeles County, Southern California now faces another round of fire-fueling Santa Ana Winds Monday.

Fires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, officials said, scorching more than 60 square miles and displacing tens of thousands of people.

Rain in Southern California raises risk of toxic ash runoff in wildfire-scorched areas. Flood watches in effect, with potential mud and debris flows threatening affected regions.

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.

Palisades Fire initially started 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 23,713 acres after being active for nine days. A crew of 4,471 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 27% of the fire by Thursday evening. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.

Thousands of firefighters are battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. About 92,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and another 89,000 are under evacuation warnings.

Firefighters on the ground and in the air rushed to slow a rapidly spreading brush fire that exploded near Castaic on Wednesday, forcing tens of thousands of evacuations and impacting traffic on the 5 Freeway.

The California fires have caused at least ... is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday evening.

Dozens of people are believed to have died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities

The wildfire is being stoked by Southern ... out by the county. Residents can also check Cal Fire's website and the official X account belonging to the Los Angeles Fire Department for ...