Santa Ana winds have died down across the greater Los Angeles area, helping firefighters to bring almost 40,000 acres of ongoing wildfires under control.

Red flag warnings have mostly expired in LA. But dry conditions and gusty winds could linger into Thursday, particularly in the mountains.

By Jorge Garcia and Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Firefighters on Wednesday confronted persistently strong and dry winds fueling two giant wildfires that have terrified Los Angeles for eight days,