Another round of fire-fueling Santa Ana winds is lashing Southern California after a brief weekend reprieve helped crews make more progress battling the deadly infernos in Los Angeles County.

The winds are common in California in the colder months, but they can sometimes help spread dangerous wildfires.

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.

More than 100,000 LA residents have been evacuated from their homes and about 29,000 acres (11,300 hectares) have been burned by the five fires as of early Thursday morning (Jan. 9.) The fires have destroyed more than 1,000 structures so far and five confirmed fatalities have been reported, according to the Associated Press (AP).

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

A small amount of rain is in the forecast for the region beginning late Friday through early Saturday, a much anticipated change of weather.

Firefighters braced for high winds, with the National Weather Service of LA issuing its most serious advisory, “Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS)".

Fierce wildfires are raging in the Los Angeles area, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, sending residents fleeing from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke.

California is grappling with several wildfires driven by powerful Santa Ana ... Hurst fire had engulfed 100 acres near Diamond Road, per the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ...

In a state that averages more than 7,500 wildfires a year some California homeowners keep helmets and fire hoses handy. However, the Los Angeles fires demonstrate a new reality: Wildfires in the ...

A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning has been issued for Southern California as a powerful and potentially damaging Santa Ana wind event​ is expected.