The Hughes Fire near Castaic, California, has burned over 5,000 acres, prompting evacuations and school closures.

At least 28 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.

Red flag warnings are in effect until Thursday for parts of Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego, due to low humidity and an uptick in Santa Ana winds.

The Santa Anas are expected to be most powerful Monday night into Tuesday. Fire services across the region say they are ready.

Meteorologists said there was a chance the winds would be as severe as those that fueled the Palisades and Eaton fires, but that different locations would likely be affected.

The winds fueling Southern California wildfires form when a high-pressure system develops over the Great Basin in Utah and Nevada

Just a few years after the ozone hole was detected via satellite, the industrialized nations of the world, meeting in Montreal in 1987, adopted what is known as the Montreal Protocol.

The winds will come and go, with the strongest gusts expected early next week, especially next Monday night and into Tuesday, forecasters said.

The Hughes Fire has spread over 5,054 acres after starting just before lunchtime in Los Angeles County's Castaic Lake area on Wednesday.

Santa Ana winds persisted Wednesday throughout Southern California as firefighters approached total containment of the Eaton Fire that has destroyed thousands of structures and caused the deaths of at least

Intense flames were consuming hillsides near Castaic Lake, quickly spreading to cover 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) in just over two hours.