Santa Ana winds continue to ravage Southern California, posing critical fire concerns across the region. The extremely gusty winds have instigated new fires, known as the Hughes and Sepulveda fires, which have rapidly spread near Los Angeles.

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

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

A wind-driven wildfire charred dozens of acres in the sparsely developed northeastern reaches of San Diego County, damaging structures and forcing pre-dawn evacuations before crews could gain the upper hand on the flames Wednesday.

The Santa Ana winds fanning wildfires that have killed at least 25 people in Southern California and destroyed more than 10,000 houses, businesses and other structures in Greater Los Angeles are flaring up again.

The National Weather Service has issued another rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning in anticipation of Monday's Santa Ana wind event.

With the strongest gusts expected on Tuesday, extreme fire condition threats will prevail until midweek, L.A.-area fire chiefs say.

After a much quieter weekend, Southern California is experiencing a major shift in the weather pattern. The winds will peak Monday evening and overnight but extend into Tuesday morning.

Crews are working Thursday to fully encircle a brush fire that broke out in the Santa Ana River bottom amid offshore winds that propelled it in the direction of homes, burning roughly 39 acres before its progress was stopped.

About 31,000 area residents were under evacuation orders and 23,000 under evacuation warnings Wednesday evening due to the Hughes Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.