Thousands of firefighters have been battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, remain active.

Los Angeles County officials are calling for an independent investigation to review the emergency alert system used during the recent Eaton and Palisades Fires to warn residents to evacuate.

The Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue burning in the Los Angeles area that left parts of Southern California with devastating fire damage.

Amid an extended red flag warning, a new fire exploded north of Castaic. Evacuations were ordered after 11 a.m. Wind gusts reached 31 mph Wednesday afternoon in the area and are expected to increase over the next several hours.

All 17 people who died in the Eaton fire lived in an area where evacuation orders came hours later than others, even as homes nearby were already burning. Some people never received warnings at all.

At least 28 people have died as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong winds, rage across Southern California.Thousands of firefighters have been battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County.

Dozens of people are believed to have died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities

The sheriff's station reopened four days after contamination prompted an OSHA complaint and a closure decision.

The National Weather Service issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation warning Monday, says winds could reach up to 100 mph.

Twenty-seven people have died across the Los Angeles area. Officials have said the true death toll isn’t known as the fires continue to burn.

Friday, 12:36 p.m. PST Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced another eight people were charged for crimes linked to the wildfires in Los Angeles, bringing the total to 17 as the accused face charges such as looting, arson and impersonation of a firefighter.

The investigation is critical for not only understanding what happened, but for ensuring it never happens again, said an attorney for 300 Altadena residents.