LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- At least 28 people have died as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong winds, rage across Southern California.
Thousands of firefighters have been battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, remain active.
Gusty conditions will return Wednesday, said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service's office for Los Angeles.
Red flag warnings for critical fire risk were extended through Thursday at 8 p.m. across L.A. and Ventura counties.
There's a chance of some rain for Southern California this weekend, raising fears of debris flows on scorched hillsides.
ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
A small grass fire erupted in the Granada Hills area near the 405 Freeway.
Northbound lanes of the 405 were closed as crews put out flames. The fire was contained after burning three acres.
In a year that is less than three weeks old, Southern California is already bracing for its third extreme wind event, and that has fire officials scrambling to make sure extra staffing is on the clock and in the right places.
LAFD has increased its extra staffing from what it had on Jan. 7, the day the Palisades and Eaton fires exploded. In the hours before those fires, the department had 15 extra-manned engines and 14 pre-deployed engines. On Monday, they had boosted the numbers to 64 extra-manned engines and 33 pre-deployed engines.
"To prepare for these winds, the LAFD has deployed all available resources and strategically positioned fire patrols, fire engines in the high-risk areas across the city of Los Angeles," said Crowley at a news conference Monday morning.
Where crews are pre-positioned matters as well. L.A. City Fire currently has 25 fire engines in the Palisades area, with extra crews standing by at fire stations in Shadow Hills, Woodland Hills, West L.A., and Hollywood.
The L.A. County Fire Department currently has 5,175 firefighters assigned to the Palisades and Eaton fires, with extra Strike Teams pre-deployed to Agoura Hills, Pacoima and La Canada.
The distribution of crews is something both fire departments don't take lightly.
"There's a lot of thought and decisions that have to come into play as to where we can properly place them so they can be utilized in the here and now," Crowley says.
An arson suspect was taken into custody after a quarter-acre brush fire was set below Griffith Observatory on Monday, officials said.
Los Angeles police said the suspect was taken into custody in the 1700 block of Kenmore Avenue. Officers initially responded to the 2900 block of Glendower Avenue and after investigating, tracked down the suspect 1.4 miles away.
Officials are urging residents to review their evacuation plans and make sure emergency kits are stocked with needed items should they have to evacuate.
The city of Los Angeles declared that red-flag parking restrictions would go into effect at 8 a.m. Monday and remain in effect until further notice. The city of Pasadena issued similar restrictions.
