Southern California is braced for "extremely critical fire conditions" caused by a new period of Santa Ana winds of up to 50 mph.

Firefighters on Tuesday held the line against two massive wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles for the past week, even as desert winds and a parched landscape presented extremely hazardous conditions.

Firefighters around Los Angeles were preparing on Tuesday to attack flare-ups or new blazes. The National Weather Service issued a rare warning that dry winds combined with severely dry conditions created a “ particularly dangerous situation,

The death toll from the fires burning in Los Angeles County increased to at least 25 on Tuesday, according to officials, as dangerous winds were expected to blow into Wednesday.

Critical fire weather is expected to continue until Wednesday at the earliest, increasing the risk that fires will spread further.

The National Weather Service's warning about the “particularly dangerous situation” in which any new fire could explode in size in the Los Angeles area didn’t mention fire tornadoes.

As deadly wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles, a Republican congressman from Texas says federal lawmakers will consider tying relief funding for California to policy changes in the state.

President-elect Donald Trump has accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of prioritizing environmental policies over public safety, and claimed that FEMA lacked the funds to respond to the crisis.

Trump, Musk lead attacks on Democrats over California's wildfire preparedness Attacking California makes sense for Republicans seeking less regulation, conservative agenda, experts say Political fallout may affect federal aid for California Jan 13 (Reuters) - For California Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders in the left-leaning state,