Monday Briefing

Covering a utility pole with a fire-retardant foam, near Los Angeles.Credit…Mark Abramson for The New York Times

Firefighters made progress in Los Angeles

Racing against more strong winds expected soon, firefighters in Los Angeles made progress yesterday in battling the area’s wildfires, which have killed at least 24 people and destroyed entire neighborhoods from the inland hills to the Pacific Coast. At least 16 other people have been reported missing. Read about the victims.

Another round of the strong Santa Ana winds that have propelled the fires is expected to develop today and Tuesday, and the shifting winds and complex topography make it hard to predict the fire’s path, experts said. See maps of the fire.

Crews have contained 11 percent of the 23,700-acre Palisades fire and 27 percent of the 14,000-acre Eaton fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, according to Cal Fire. More than 150,000 residents are still under evacuation orders, and tens of thousands more have been warned they may have to evacuate. Here’s the latest.

Origins: While it remained unclear what started the fires, the University of California San Diego said its camera network caught the first plumes coming from the Palisades fire on the morning of Jan. 7. Power lines near the Eaton and Palisades fires were on when those blazes started and may have played a role.

Here’s what else to know:

• President-elect Donald Trump called officials in charge of fighting the Los Angeles fires “incompetent.” He has not publicly responded to invitations from Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials to visit the area.

• The combined area burned by the past week’s fires — nearly 40,000 acres, according to Los Angeles County officials — is larger than each of the city limits of San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston or Miami.

• “Will pay any amount”: Private fire crews, most of whom work through government contracts or with insurance companies, are in demand among some wealthy property owners.