According to the city’s medical examiner on Sunday, at least 24 individuals have lost their lives as significant wildfires continue to wreak havoc on the Los Angeles region in the US state of California.

Eight of the deaths are linked to the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades district, while at least 16 are connected to the Eaton Fire near Pasadena.

Since Tuesday, the area has seen a number of significant fires, but these two are the most serious.

Since it would take days for emergency personnel to safely reach every area affected by the fires, officials worry that the death toll could keep rising.

Officials say this could be one of the biggest natural disasters, and firefighters were bracing for gusts to build up again in the days ahead.

With dry vegetation and wind gusts of up to 110 km/h predicted for Sunday, the U.S. weather agency predicts that both new and existing fires will spread quickly and erratically.

Through Wednesday, Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, issued a warning about “critical fire weather.”

The department posted on X, “Dangerous low humidity and life-threatening winds are forecast for much of Southern California – from Ventura to San Diego – creating a significant risk of rapid fire spread.”

It advised people to make sure all campfires were put out and to refrain from mowing their lawns or parking their cars on dry grass because the wind might intensify fire activity.

Approximately 12,300 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, according to Cal Fire officials. Nearly 163 square kilometers of land—an area nearly the size of Washington, D.C.—have been on fire since Tuesday.

In an interview with broadcaster NBC, California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the wildfires would rank as the most costly natural disaster in American history due to their “scale and scope.”

After that, Newsom signed an executive order temporarily suspending environmental standards for companies and houses that were destroyed.