Southern California is expected to be slammed with up to hurricane-strength gusts that could spark a growth in various wildfires through Tuesday morning, officials said.

A second day of ferocious winds were forecast for Tuesday in Southern California where firefighters remained on alert and extreme fire weather raised the risk of new wildfires two weeks after two major blazes still burning in the Los Angeles area sparked.

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, while officials made preparations to protect scorched neighborhoods from

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.