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Another day of fierce winds gusting to 65 mph in mountainous areas of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties in Southern California was expected on Wednesday, but weather more conducive to firefighting operations is expected soon.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued another red flag warning for the area until 3 p.m. PST, cautioning of more of the windy and dry conditions that have fed raging fires for more than a week. The strong Santa Ana winds have helped push the deadly blazes through the Los Angeles suburbs, killing at least 25 people and leveling expensive real estate in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

All told, the fires have engulfed more than 40,000 acres (more than 62 square miles), according to Cal Fire.

“The good news is that for the last two days we’ve had no increase in acreage at the Eaton Fire and it remains estimated at 14,117 acres with 35% containment,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said of one of the largest fires. 

The Palisades fire, which spans more than 23,000 acres, is just 19% contained, according to Cal Fire.

On Tuesday, meteorologists initially called for particularly strong winds that turned out to be lighter that expected, according to NPR member station LAist.

But a reprieve in the high winds was expected from Thursday into Saturday. NWS meteorologist Ryan Kittell noted that the service is worried about “one last [wind] enhancement” through Wednesday and that peak winds would be highest in Ventura County.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had difficulty describing the devastation that has befallen her city.

“The massive, massive destruction. Is unimaginable until you actually see it,” Bass said. Even so, she said, it was time “to begin to think about how we rebuild.”

Since the fires broke out last week, responders from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico have come to the aid of Southern California. “Yesterday, I also had the opportunity to meet with our international partners from Mexico to express our heartfelt gratitude for their assistance. The outpouring of support from both near and far, I tell you, is absolutely remarkable,” LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said.

Of the 25 dead, 17 were killed in the Eaton Fire and eight in the Palisades Fire, LAist says. Officials said of the 13 still listed as missing, two bodies had been recovered but not yet positively identified.

More than 55,000 customers were without power on Wednesday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to PowerOutage.us.

How to help and stay safe

Resources to help stay safe:

➡️ With fire danger still high, authorities implore you to follow evacuation orders

➡️ What to do — and not do — when you get home after a fire evacuation

➡️ Is smoke in your home? Here’s how to make an air purifier from a box fan

➡️Trying to stay safe in a wildfire? There’s an app that can help

Ways to support the response and recovery:

➡️ Want to help fire victims? Here’s what experts say does the most good and places seeking volunteers

➡️ Wildfire donations and volunteering: How and where to help

➡️ Share: These are the steps fire victims need to take to make an insurance claim

The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to LAist’s coverage for the latest.

Piloting a firefighting aircraft is sweaty, tiring work, Mr. Mattiacci said. The conditions that increase fire risk — hot days, high wind, often mountainous areas — also make for turbulent flying conditions. The aircraft fly at low speeds, increasing the turbulence, he added.

“You get pulled up out of your seat and your head bangs against the roof,” he said. In the hot conditions, pilots must keep just hydrated enough not to have to use the bathroom, on flights that can last up to five hours, he said.

There’s also a risk of flying into the thick, blinding smoke that wildfires send up, he said. The aircraft flying low to the ground — sometimes as low as the height of treetops — meaning there’s a significant risk of flying into power lines, radio towers and buildings.

“When we lose all visual reference, it gets a bit scary,” he said.

The stronger the winds, the harder it is to get close to the fire, as winds push the smoke around and obstruct visibility.

The large air tankers in Australia drop retardant from an altitude of about 100 to 150 feet, he said, while smaller ones can fly even lower. The largest tankers — which can carry up to 9,400 gallons of fire retardant at a time, and have been used to fight the Southern California fires — drop from about 250 feet, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Mr. Mattiacci said that he often feels pressure as he looks down from the cockpit at homes and structures under threat, knowing his job is to help save them. And if the fire retardant doesn’t land where it’s needed, he added, during a fast-moving fire, “there might not be another chance.”

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Germany’s economy shrank for a second straight year in 2024, underlining the severity of the downturn facing Europe’s manufacturing powerhouse.

The Federal Statistics Office said on Wednesday that Europe’s largest economy contracted by 0.2 per cent last year, after shrinking by 0.3 per cent in 2023. Economists had expected a decline of 0.2 per cent.

“Germany is experiencing the longest stagnation of its postwar history by far,” said Timo Wollmershäuser, economist at Ifo, a Munich-based economic think-tank, adding that the country was also underperforming significantly in an international comparison.

Confirmation that Germany is suffering one of the most protracted economic crises in decades comes six weeks ahead of a crucial snap election.

Campaigning has been dominated by the spectre of deindustrialisation, crumbling infrastructure and whether or not the country should abandon a debt brake that constrains public spending.

Friedrich Merz, head of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union who is likely to be Germany’s next chancellor, is campaigning on a reform agenda, promising to cut red tape and taxes and dial back welfare benefits for people who are not working.

While private sector output contracted, government consumption rose sharply by 2.6 per cent compared with 2023.

Ruth Brand, president of the Federal Statistics Office, blamed “cyclical and structural pressures” for the poor performance, pointing to “increasing competition for the German export industry, high energy costs, an interest rate level that remains high and an uncertain economic outlook.”

In the three months to December, output fell by 0.1 per cent compared with the third quarter.

Robin Winkler, chief economist for Germany at Deutsche Bank, said the contraction in the fourth quarter came as a “surprise” and was “concerning”.

“If this is confirmed, the economy would have lost further momentum by the end of the year,” he said, suggesting this was probably driven by “political uncertainty in Berlin and Washington”.

The Bundesbank said last month that stagnation was set to continue this year, predicting growth of just 0.1 per cent and warning that a trade war with the US would trigger another year of economic contraction.

US president-elect Donald Trump has pledged to impose blanket tariffs of up to 20 per cent on all US imports.

Germany is struggling with a crisis in its automotive industry fuelled by Chinese competition and an expensive transition to electric cars, alongside high energy costs and tepid consumer demand.

Output in manufacturing contracted by 3 per cent, the statistics office said on Wednesday, while corporate investment fell by 2.8 per cent.

Germany has in effect seen no meaningful economic growth since the start of the pandemic, with industrial production hovering more than 10 per cent below its peak while unemployment has started to rise again after it fell to record lows.