Santa Ana winds will continue whipping through Southern California through Thursday, sparking fears that progress made fighting wildfires that have scorched over 40,000 acres and left 28 dead could be reversed and more blazes could break out.

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

Dangerous winds returned to Southern California on Tuesday as new wildfires broke out and a pair of major Los Angeles-area blazes burned for a third week.

As winds across the Southern California area are calmer than their peak and firefighters are making progress, the threat to the fire-weary region remains with Santa Ana winds expected to continue in the coming days.

The National Weather Service warned of a “particularly dangerous situation” across Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego counties due to low humidity and powerful Santa Ana winds.

Firefighters in Southern California swiftly tackled several brush fires on Monday, as gusty Santa Ana winds swept across the region, exacerbating wildfire risks. The National Weather Service issued a "particularly dangerous situation" warning for parts of Los Angeles,