At least two people are dead, hundreds of buildings have burned and tens of thousands of Los Angeles-area residents remain under evacuation orders.

Red Flag Warnings remain in effect through Friday evening for much of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, the National Weather Service said.

As the reality of the destruction wrought by the Southern California firestorm continued coming to light, fire crews hoped to take advantage of slightly diminished winds to establish containment lines around the various blazes before more Santa Ana winds return to the region.

Fresh off destructive wind and firestorms, the forecast remains daunting for Southern California with additional damaging Santa Ana wind threats and critical fire weather danger continuing at times over the next several days.