Southern California is braced for "extremely critical fire conditions" caused by a new period of Santa Ana winds today through Wednesday across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as the battle to contain rampant blazes goes on.

The Auto Fire has burned nearly 61 acres in Ventura, California Monday night and was at 47% containment Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters braced for high winds, with the National Weather Service of LA issuing its most serious advisory, “Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS)".

Another round of fire weather could last for much of next week in Southern California, bringing new dangers as Pacific Palisades, Altadena and surrounding communities struggle to assess the damage of devastating wildfires earlier this month.

The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow down the mountains toward the Southern California coast. The region sees about 10 Santa Ana wind events a year on average, typically occurring from fall into January. When conditions are dry, as they are right now, these winds can become a severe fire hazard.

The potentially hazardous conditions are expected Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to the NWS.

The fire ignited in Pacific Palisades amid "a life-threatening, destructive, widespread windstorm," officials said.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Los Angeles and parts of Ventura County through Thursday evening, meaning that conditions for wildfires will be at their highest thanks to low humidity,

Firefighters are battling a 10-acre brush fire currently burning in Ventura County. It was first reported at around 7:45 p.m. in the Santa Clara River bottom near N. Ventura Boulevard and Auto ...

As of 8 p.m. on Monday, authorities have not disclosed how many acres have been burned by the Auto Fire, but officials are closely monitoring the situation. The fire follows warnings for Angelenos to prepare for the return of Santa Ana winds this week.

Extreme fire conditions remain in the Southern California region as high winds have prompted a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" red flag warning,​ weather officials say.