Firefighters in California are continuing to battle the three biggest fires that are still burning in areas across Los Angeles.

Officials insist they are well-prepared, with almost 5,000 firefighters tackling the Palisades fire alone.

The largest, Palisades, which has burnt through more than 23,000 acres, is 13% contained.

The second biggest, Eaton, has burnt through more than 14,000 acres and is 33% contained.

The Hurst fire has grown to 799 acres and is 89% contained.

Victoria Park-Froud
Journalist, BBC News

LA resident Reda Rountree got in touch with the BBC to tell us she doesn’t know if her home in Highland Park in north-east Los Angeles is still standing.

Her family fled their home on Wednesday, after they were abruptly awoken by “choking from the smoke”.

“When our air quality number is over 50 I’m reluctant to go outside," the 49-year-old tells the BBC. "By the time we left, it was 384."

"As we were leaving, we saw charred pages of books in our front yard, which is insane. That tells you how far the winds are carrying embers and ash from the Eaton Canyon fire into other parts of the county."

She and her family drove 40 miles (65km) outside the city to safety, where she says they could watch "plumes of smoke over LA from our hotel window".

Roundtree now wonders if the family home they abandoned will still be standing when they're finally able to return.

“We love our city. We’ve called it home for more than two decades, and our children were born and raised here," she says. "It’s agonising to watch it all burn.”

Image source, Getty Images

A separate warning has been issued over air quality in Los Angeles, which officials say will be exacerbated by strong winds.

Air pollution agency South Coast AQMD has said blowing dust may result in air quality "unhealthy for sensitive groups" in most of LA.

Gusts are forecast to reach up to 70mph (112 km/h) on Tuesday, with high winds also dispersing ash from burnt-out areas.

"Windblown ash from burned structures may contain higher air toxic levels. If you see windblown ash, take precautions to reduce exposure," the agency warns.

The National Weather Service is asking people to stay indoors and keep windows closed, and to wear a mask if they go outside.

It's sometimes difficult to relay the scale of damage that fires like the ones raging across southern California can have on neighbourhoods.

But we can now bring you some snapshots from live maps, which show areas that have been wrecked by the Eaton and Palisades fires.

For the Eaton fire, LA County Recovers shows in their live map that more than 2,300 structures have been affected, with 879 structures destroyed.

Image source, LA County Recovers

LA County has also assessed 664 structures that may have been impacted by the Palisades fire. For 485 of those structures, they were destroyed.

Below gives you a closer look at how these fires have impacted some areas, but here's a quick guide to the markers:

• Red shows "destroyed" properties - where over 50% has been damaged
• Orange shows structures majorly damaged (26-50%)
• Yellow indicates minor damage (10-25%)
• And green for those affected by fires (1-9%)
• The properties with a black marker represent structures that are totally unaffected

As you can see, even amongst some of the neighbourhoods where there was massive destruction, there are some structures that remain wholly unaffected.

Image source, LA Country Recovers

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, winds are key in the battle against the wildfires raging across Los Angeles and its surrounding areas.

In a news conference last night, National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson said a red flag warning will remain in place until 18:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday. This means conditions are ideal for wildfire combustion, and rapid spread.

The Santa Ana winds are back - a normal phenomenon but when they're strong, they can turn dangerous - as they did last week.

"The vegetation is still very, very dry, so that leaves a recipe to produce some very critical fire weather conditions," says Thompson.

The most recent forecast says gusts will peak at 70mph (112km/h) on Tuesday, which is lower than the winds that fuelled the fires initially and grounded firefighting aircraft so no flames could be doused from above.

Image source, Reuters

Firefighters from Mexico and Canada have been drafted to help tackle the Los Angeles wildfires.

Mexico sent a crew of more than 70 firefighters and troops to the city and will start tackling the Palisade fire on Monday, Cal Fire - the state's fire authority - told NBC News, external.

"All 73 will be paired up as a handcrew," Cal Fire public information officer Curtis Rhodes said.

These crews have the responsibility of constructing fire lines - strips of land cleared of flammable materials.

Cal Fire says that firefighters from Canada have also been deployed to the region.

Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to deploy 150 firefighters from his country to assist in fighting the blazes.

Image source, EPA

As we've been reporting, the threat of fires in LA is still "very high", according to local officials.

The Los Angeles county fire chief, Anthony Marrone, said Sunday that the strong winds forecast and "critical fire weather conditions" are expected to continue until Wednesday.

Here's how the Marrone, and others, are preparing for the week ahead:

• Los Angeles County Fire Department chief says they've received dozens of new water trucks and firefighters, and the water system is ready
• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was questioned over the weekend about water hydrants in the city and whether they could run dry, as some did during the initial outbreak of fires last week. Bass now says "I believe the city is prepared"
• California Governor Gavin Newsom has introduced emergency measures to prevent fire victims from being scammed, with tougher penalties for price gouging, and less red tape for people who want to rebuild their homes
• Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has accused California officials of incompetence. "This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "They just can't put out the fires. What's wrong with them?"
• Officials in California - including its governor, LA's mayor and others - have invited the incoming president to visit Los Angeles to tour the destruction from the ongoing wildfires

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Fires continue to rage in Los Angeles: The California Fire Authority says 40,000 acres of the city have burned in the past week and three major fires continue to burn:

• Palisades fire - contained by 13%
• Eaton fire - contained by 27%
• Hurst fire - contained by 89%

Red flag warnings as strong winds expected: The National Weather Service for Los Angeles has issued a “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning for three areas across Ventura and West Los Angeles County. This is the same level that came ahead of last week's powerful gusts. The agency says the winds could be strong enough to potentially cause explosive fire growth.

24 people are known to have died: Some 100,000 people have been evacuated, and there is a curfew in place from 18:00 local time to 06:00 (02:00 to 14:00 GMT) in some parts of the city. With thousands of people displaced, there are reports of rents being raised and price-gouging.

Officials insist they are prepared: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says fire crews are being pre-deployed in anticipation of the strong winds.

Thousands of firefighters are battling largest blaze: A battalion chief with Cal Fire tells the BBC that nearly 5,000 firefighters are tackling the Palisades fire - the largest of the three. "We have aircraft that are dropping fire retardant and water on the fire itself and we're constantly putting even more water on it."

Strong winds last week, with gusts reaching speeds of 100mph (160km/h), grounded planes during the initial hours of the firefight. In some cases, fire crews had no option but to let places burn.

On Wednesday night, our team on the ground witnessed this first hand.

One crew facing water shortages as pressure dropped could do nothing more than watch the fire overwhelm them and divert attention to the other side of the street. On that side, carefully using the small amount of water they had, they desperately tried to save those homes.

The BBC's John Sudworth has returned to that street and sees that the two sides of the street are now polar opposites.

Despite the warnings of high winds we've been reporting on this week, he says there is a crucial difference this time around: the predicted 70mph (112km/h) peak is a long way short of the 100mph (160km/h) from last week.

This is in the normal range of the Santa Ana winds and fire crews are "well used" to dealing with the wind speeds, fire crews tell him.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

We are entering another crucial period for fighting the fires that continue to burn.

Santa Ana winds, blowing in from the east of north-east, are set to strengthen again over the next few days and peak on Tuesday with gusts to 70mph (112km/h) possible.

While not as strong as those of the last week, the dry and gusty nature of the winds are still capable of causing explosive fire growth.

The strongest of the winds will be to the north and east of the city of Los Angeles, including Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

A longer period of lighter winds will develop after Wednesday, but there is still not much needed rain in sight.

Have you been personally affected by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area?

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The wildfires in southern California have left some neighbourhoods in LA looking like "war zones", the county deputy sheriff for the area has said.

Robert Luna has warned people who were are lining up at barricades to get back into the destroyed neighbourhoods that they should avoid doing so, particularly when there are still "downed power poles" and "electric wires" on the ground, NBC News reported.

"It is not safe," he stressed.

Here's a look at some pictures that show the aftermath of the devastating blazes:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Image source, Getty Images

Kim Kardashian has described the hundreds of incarcerated people who are battling the LA wildfires as "heroes".

As we just mentioned, depending on skill, prison inmates who are a part of this programme earn between $5.80 and $10.24 (£4.75 and £8.38) per day, and an additional $1 per day when assigned to active emergencies.

Kardashian, who is also a criminal justice advocate, has taken to her Instagram to condemn that pay.

"They get paid almost nothing" she writes, adding that they "risk their lives" to "prove to the community that they have changed and are now first responders".

"I see them as heroes."

She called on California Governor Gavin Newsom to raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to a rate that "honours a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes".

On Sunday, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Newsom signed a law enabling these firefighters have more career opportunities upon release.

Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

Nearly 1,000 incarcerated men and women have joined the frontlines in a battle against the wildfires.

The number deployed - as of 11 January, at 939 - are part of a long-running volunteer programme led by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

The programme has divided opinion, some see it as exploitative while others say it rehabilitative.

The state pays inmates a daily wage between $5.80 and $10.24 (£4.75 and £8.38), and an additional $1 per day when assigned to active emergencies.

Those wages are a fraction of the salaries received by citizen firefighters in California, who can earn upwards of $100,000 (£82,375) annually.

"You're getting pennies compared to the other folks that's alongside of you. You're just cheap labour," Royal Ramey, a former incarcerated firefighter and co-founder of the non-profit Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP), tells the BBC.

After incarcerated firefighters are released from prison - having been trained by the state - many try to get hired as citizen firefighters, but are denied, Ramey says.

"There's a stigma to it. When people think of firefighters they think of some clean-cut guy, a hero, not someone who's been locked up," he adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Landlords have been illegally raising prices due to the Los Angeles wildfires, Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim has told the BBC.

Speaking on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, the LA real estate agent has said some landlords are breaking the law by raising rents more than 10% higher than pre-disaster prices.

"We're having landlords taking advantage of the situation," says Oppenheim, who stars in the Netflix reality show about LA's luxury real estate market.

"There are thousands of people who are displaced...the hotels are overwhelmed," he says.

Oppenheim says he sent a client to a rental property which was listed for $13,000 (£11,000) a month. "(My client) offered $20,000 (£16,400) a month and he offered to pay six months upfront and the landlord said 'no, I want $23,000 (£19,000) a month'," he says.

"There are price gouging laws in California, they are just being ignored right now," he says, adding: "It's illegal to take advantage of a natural disaster."

• Selling Sunset's Jason says landlords price gouging over LA fires

Throughout the past week, we've seen thousands band together across southern California to help people affected by the wildfires - that includes 6-year-old Oliver.

He says: "Kids cannot go to school. Kids and grown-ups are homeless. They don't have anywhere to live."

We've heard from people of all ages - from teens, to parents - about their volunteering efforts.

You can watch below to learn more about why some of them want to help.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, we heard the Pasadena fire chief tell the BBC that fires could take off again - and that warning has been echoed by the National Weather Service for Los Angeles.

On Sunday, the NWS issued a “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning for three areas across Ventura and West Los Angeles County. This is the same level that came ahead of last week's hurricane-force gusts.

The agency says it expects "critical fire weather" with winds that could be strong enough to potentially cause explosive fire growth.

It's advising residents to have multiple ways of getting notifications about new fires.

From today at 21:45 PST, most schools in Los Angeles are set to reopen after closing all down across the city last week.

Los Angeles Unified School District says they are continuing to monitor the situation closely.

The school district advises that - should anything change - they'll notify families and employees by 5:30 local time (13:30 GMT).

Image source, FAMILY OF VICTOR SHAW

As we have reported, at least 24 people have died in the LA wildfires, with another 16 missing.

Victor Shaw died trying to defend his home from the wildfire in Altadena, his family said.

The 66-year-old's body was reportedly found on the side of the road with a garden hose in his hand. The property had been in Shaw's family for nearly 55 years.

Shaw lived at the home with his younger sister Shari, who said she tried to get him to evacuate on Tuesday night as the fire moved closer.

She told KTLA that she had to flee because "the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm".

• What do we know about the LA fires victims?

Image source, Reuters

Battalion chief with Cal Fire, Brent Pascua, says there are almost 5,000 firefighters tackling the Palisades fire - the largest of the blazes.

Aircrafts are dropping fire retardant and water onto the fire itself, Pascua tells the BBC's Newsday programme. Water is continuously being poured over the area, even when there is no smoke or flames.

Pascua says this is because the ground remains hot underneath. His team have to "churn up the dirt so that we can expose the hot embers and ash that lay just beneath the surface".

These are then cooled and put out "before the winds get here and blow them over our fire line".