LOS ANGELES >> Firefighters reported significant gains Wednesday against the two massive wildfires burning around Los Angeles, while also extinguishing smaller blazes set by arsonists in recent days as a final round of windy, flame-fanning weather moved through Southern California.

A Particularly Dangerous Situation red-flag warning expired in the afternoon, but dry conditions and gusty winds were forecast to linger into Thursday. So much of the nation’s second-most populous metropolitan region remained on alert for new outbreaks and flareups from the fires, which have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Earlier Wednesday gusts whipped up to 50 mph in the mountains, though many areas saw relatively light winds late in the morning, according to the National Weather Service. Better conditions expected in the coming days should help fire crews make even more headway and allow residents to return to their neighborhoods to begin rebuilding.

Still, firefighters and police faced new challenges. Since the beginning of the wildfire outbreak last week, authorities have arrested about half a dozen people accused of setting new, small fires that were quickly knocked down.

One suspect admitted startin0g a fire in a tree “because he liked the smell of burning leaves,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. Another said “she enjoyed causing chaos and destruction,” the chief said Wednesday.

Authorities have not determined a cause for the major blazes in what is on track to become the nation’s costliest fire disaster.

LA officials, who already were criticized for hydrants running dry, faced more questions. Fire officials chose not to double the number of firefighters on duty last Tuesday as winds increased, and only five of more than 40 engines were deployed, according to internal records obtained by The Los Angeles Times and interviews with fire commanders.

The department also did not call in off-duty firefighters until after the Palisades Fire erupted.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley defended her decisions. “I can tell you and stand before you, we did everything in our capability to surge where we could,” she told a news conference.

Crowley said that despite “limited capacity,, crews were able to respond swiftly by calling for assistance from other agencies and seeking help from off-duty firefighters.

More manageable winds Tuesday allowed firefighters to make gains on the two most destructive fires. Almost half of the Eaton Fire just north of LA was contained, and one-fifth of the fire that destroyed much of the seaside neighborhood of Pacific Palisades was surrounded.

Both of those broke out Jan. 7 in conditions similar to what was expected Wednesday, though winds were higher last week when they pushed flames at remarkable speed and carried fire-sparking embers for miles.