[Source: Reuters]

Firefighters on Wednesday confronted persistently strong and dry winds fueling two giant wildfires that have terrified Los Angeles for eight days, testing the resolve of a city upended by the worst disaster in its history.

Officials urged residents to remain vigilant and be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice with peak wind gusts forecast to last through Thursday afternoon.

Some 6.5 million people remained under a critical fire threat, after the fires consumed an area nearly the size of Washington, D.C., resulting in at least 25 deaths so far, authorities said.

Although anticipated winds of up to 70 mph (112 kph) had yet to materialize, firefighters reported winds of 30 to 40 mph (48 to 64 kph) combined with low humidity in a region that has failed to receive any appreciable rain in nine months.

The fires have damaged or destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other structures, and forced as many as 200,000 people from their homes. Some 82,400 people were under evacuation orders and another 90,400 faced evacuation warnings as of Wednesday, County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, leaving smoldering ash and rubble. Many homes only have a chimney stack left standing.

Some 8,500 firefighters from the western United States, Canada and Mexico have kept the growth of the fires in check for three days.

The Palisades Fire on the west edge of the city held steady at 23,713 acres (96 sq km) burned, and containment nudged up to 19% – a measurement of how much of the perimeter was under control. The Eaton Fire in the foothills east of the city stood at 14,117 acres (57 sq km) with containment at 45%.

A fleet of air tankers and helicopters dropped water and fire retardant into the rugged hills while ground crews with hand tools and hoses worked to contain the fires.

Aerial firefighters – or fire bombers – operate without precision equipment or autopilot, just a pilot’s view through the windscreen and his experience.

Hundreds of visiting firefighters and emergency workers are staying outside the Rose Bowl football stadium, a base camp where colleagues build camaraderie in between shifts of 24 hours on followed by 24 hours off.