LOS ANGELES >> Additional water tankers and scores of firefighters arrived in the Los Angeles area on Monday ahead of fierce winds that were forecast to return and threaten the progress made so far on two massive fires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.

Planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, while crews and fire engines were being placed near particularly vulnerable spots with dry brush. Dozens of water trucks rolled in to replenish supplies after hydrants ran dry last week when the two largest fires erupted.Tabitha Trosen said she and her boyfriend feel like they are “teetering” on the edge with the constant fear that their neighborhood could be the next under threat.

“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, adding that she keeps adding things as she thinks about what she could lose. “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.”

Mayor responds

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials — who have faced criticism over their initial response to fires that began last week — expressed confidence Monday that the region was ready to face the new threat with additional firefighters brought in from around the U.S., as well as Canada and Mexico.

“We’re absolutely better prepared,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said, when asked what will be different from a week ago, when hurricane-force winds propelled multiple fires across the parched, brush-filled region that hasn’t seen rain in more than eight months.

The winds also are not expected to reach hurricane-force like last week, though they could still ground firefighting aircraft, Marrone said, warning if winds reach 70 mph, “it’s going to be very difficult to contain that fire.”

Fire officials advised residents in high-risk areas to just leave home — and not wait for formal evacuation orders — if they sense danger.

Residents on the move

That’s exactly what Tim Kang of the suburb of La Crescenta did last Wednesday. Feeling sick from the smoky air and fearful of nearby fires spreading, Kang and his brothers packed up and have stayed away from their neighborhood.

“Everything just felt like, ‘Oh man, the world’s ending,’” said Kang, who’s staying with his girlfriend in Pasadena.

In less than a week, four fires around the nation’s second-biggest city have scorched more than 62 square miles, roughly three times the size of Manhattan.

The National Weather Service warned the weather will be “particularly dangerous” on Tuesday, when wind gusts could reach 65 mph. A large part of Southern California around Los Angeles is under this extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, including densely populated areas of Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley.

The Eaton Fire near Pasadena is roughly one-third contained, while the largest blaze in Pacific Palisades on the coast is far less contained.

Search for victims continues

The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday. At least two dozen were missing, he said.

Luna said he understands that people are eager to return to their homes and neighborhoods to survey the damage, but he asked for their patience. “We have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors,” he said.

At a Monday evening community meeting about the Palisades Fire, a Los Angeles Police Department official said many people reported as missing had been found. It wasn’t clear if there was overlap in the numbers shared by the sheriff.

Los Angeles city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urged people to stay away from burned neighborhoods filled with broken gas lines and unstable buildings.

Just under 100,000 in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, half the number from last week.

Authorities haven’t determined an official cause for any of the fires. Electricity utility Southern California Edison has acknowledged agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started a smaller blaze.