"This is not good... Get ready for 72 hours of hell" VIDEO

Meteorologists have warned residents in fire-ravaged evacuation zones that "life-threatening" winds of up to 70 miles per hour will increase and last through Wednesday.

That increases the risk that the wildfires that have ravaged that part of California will spread even further.

"The overall duration of this doesn't look good," warned meteorologist Rose Schoenfield.

The weather warning also prevents residents from returning to their homes to inspect the damage, but also makes it difficult to find the missing.

Four fires have burned 40,000 acres in the wealthiest neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and celebrity homes and famous restaurants are also on the list of 12,300 buildings that have been burned to the ground.

The Los Angeles medical examiner updated the death toll on Sunday afternoon, revealing that 24 people have so far died as a result of the fire, but dozens more are missing.

Search dogs are also on the ground trying to find missing people, and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has warned that the death toll is likely to continue to rise.

Miles Bliss, of the National Weather Service, issued a grim forecast Sunday afternoon, warning that the strong Santa Ana winds that fueled the inferno last week will pick up again.

"Critical fire weather conditions are expected during this time, so be prepared to evacuate if officials say so," he said.

The biggest, red weather warning is still in effect.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said authorities will not consider allowing displaced residents to return home until the warning is lifted.

As a reminder, catastrophic fires broke out in Los Angeles last Tuesday and have been spreading uncontrollably ever since.