Officials are warning that more strong winds in the forecast for southern California could fuel devastating wildfires still burning in and around Los Angeles.

    Authorities say progress is being made to contain the major Palisades and Eaton fires, but LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone tells residents to be ready to heed any possible evacuation orders.

    The blazes have killed at least 24 people in what California Governor Gavin Newsom says could be the most devastating natural disaster in United States history.

    Donald Trump has sharpened his criticism of California’s handling of the wildfires as Newsom urged the US president-elect to witness the damage in person.

    LA residents living out of packed bags

    Tabitha Trosen told The Associated Press news agency that she and her boyfriend have already packed their bags twice.

    First, it was the fire in the Hollywood Hills, then it was the sudden flare-up of the Palisades fire north towards Encino. The second time, they packed family heirlooms and clothing, things they thought would be their only surviving belongings.

    “It’s like: How do I take care of myself, and what are the things that will ground me as a human and remind me of my background and my life and my family?” Trosen said.

    The plume of smoke Trosen saw in the distance Friday night ended up being a false alarm, but she still feels like they are “teetering” on the edge until the strong winds this week are over. Their bags remain packed.

    “I threw all of our cat food into a bag, and then I threw quite a few of our toiletries,” Trosen said. “I am working out of those bags in the event that we get called.”

    Trosen and her boyfriend plan to leave once their area is under an evacuation warning, but likely not before then to keep temporary lodging open for those who actually need to evacuate, she said.

    “Our cats are ready to go, we have their carriers by the door prepped with their little stuffed animals and things like that,” Trosen said.

    How do some houses survive the wildfires?

    The wildfires in the Pacific Palisades have reduced rows upon rows of houses to charred chimney stacks, but a few homes in the upscale neighbourhood stand miraculously untouched.

    In front of one such house, we asked Chris Harvey, the spokesperson for Cal Fire, why this happens.

    “Well, there’s no way of knowing exactly what happened in this incident without talking to the firefighters that were here,” he told Al Jazeera.

    But pointing to a fire hydrant right in front of the unscathed house, he said the water source “may have had something to do with it”.

    “In a firestorm like this, with the fire spreading from home to home, as an engine captain, which I once was, I would be reluctant to stop and try [to] fight the fire with just the 500-gallon water in my tank,” Harvey explained.

    “But if I had a water supply that I could hook to, and I saw a house that was viable, as something that I could save, then I absolutely would hook to this hydrant and do my very best to save this house.”

    LA animal shelters overwhelmed amid wildfires

    Animal shelters in the city are running out of space as residents turn in their wounded pets or other animals they find while fleeing the wildfires.

    Shelters like SPC-ALA and LA Animal Services say they are temporarily lowering or waving adoption fees to encourage residents to adopt these animals. Some animals are being sent to other parts of California and even out of state to free up shelter space.

    The Marin Humane Society, in the city of San Francisco in northern California, announced on social media that it had accepted 46 animals – two dogs and small animals like guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters – from municipal shelters around LA County.

    The animals are now up for adoption.