*

At least 24 people dead, 12,000 structures damaged or

destroyed

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More than 90,000 in Los Angeles area under evacuation

orders

Winds could reach 75 mph, threatening firefighting efforts

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Biden announces more disaster aid; banks ease mortgage

terms

By Chad Terhune, Jorge Garcia

LOS ANGELES, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Los Angeles firefighters

braced on Tuesday for a new round of intense winds that could

fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already killed at least

24 people, leveled entire neighborhoods and scorched an area the

size of Washington, D.C.

Much of Los Angeles and Ventura County could experience

wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph from early Tuesday through Wednesday

as dry Santa Ana winds picked up after relative calm last week,

according to the National Weather Service.

It declared a red flag warning, meaning the situation was

dangerous and could ignite new fires while stoking those already

burning.

"This setup is about as bad as it gets," Los Angeles City

Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told local residents. "We are not in

the clear."

Highlighting the risks, a small but fast-moving new fire

erupted overnight in scrubland in the bed of the Santa Clara

River in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles.

Ground crew and several helicopters were working to contain

the so-called Auto Fire, which had razed over 56 acres and was

burning near a golf course but not yet threatening homes.

In anticipation of the winds, more than 8,500 firefighters

attacked the two biggest wildfires from the air and on the

ground, aiming to prevent them from spreading overnight.

State authorities on Monday pre-positioned firefighting

crews in Los Angeles and other Southern California counties that

were under elevated fire danger.

The Palisades and Eaton fires erupted on the city's western

and eastern flanks during last week's intense winds but crews

made progress in controlling them since the weekend.

At least 24 people have died in the blazes, according to the

Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. This toll will likely rise,

officials said, as crews carried out house to house searches in

burnt-out neighborhoods.

The Eaton fire damaged the Altadena home of Lorraine Bryan,

63, and destroyed two other dwellings on her property. She told

Reuters she was worried about getting refills of insulin that

she needs to manage diabetes.

"I'm worried about insurance and about rebuilding and

getting back on my feet," Bryan said on Monday, standing in the

doorway of her charred home. "I need my medication. I'm trying

to see who can help us."

APOCALYPTIC LANDSCAPE

The wildfires have destroyed or damaged more than 12,000

structures, turning entire neighborhoods into smoldering ash and

piles of rubble and leaving an apocalyptic landscape.

As of Monday, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County

were under evacuation orders - down from more than 150,000 -

while a further 89,000 faced evacuation warnings.

The Palisades Fire, which wiped out upscale communities on

the western flank of Los Angeles, burned 23,713 acres (96 square

km) and was 14% contained.

The Eaton Fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains

east of the city consumed another 14,117 acres (57 sq km) and

was 33% contained, the California Department of Forestry and

Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported.

A third fire, the Hurst, spanning 799 acres (3.2 sq km) was

95% contained, while three other fires in the county have been

fully brought under control in recent days.

DEATH AND ARRESTS

Deputies were finding human remains every day in burned-out

parts of Altadena, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

"It is a very grim task," Luna said, adding he expected the

confirmed death toll to rise in the days ahead.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the firestorm could

rank as the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history.

It is already the costliest wildfire in terms of insured

losses.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman on

Monday said 10 people had been arrested in connection with the

fires. Nine were arrested for residential burglaries of

fire-stricken areas. One other person was arrested for arson,

after allegedly attempting to set a tree on fire in the city of

Azusa, about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, said

on Monday there was "a special place in hell" and in jail for

looters.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was

sued on Monday on claims that it failed to properly manage water

supplies critical to fighting the deadly Palisades Fire, a court

filing showed. Residents who sued alleged the department should

have maintained water in a nearby reservoir, which was dry at

the time the fire first erupted last Tuesday.

AID AND POLITICS

"Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in

the wildfires across Los Angeles," said U.S. President Joe

Biden, who announced additional disaster aid for California.

But top Republicans in the U.S. Congress are considering

imposing conditions on disaster aid, accusing the state's

Democratic leadership of mismanaging water resources and

forests.

California Governor Newsom and other top Democrats in the state

have come under withering criticism for their handling of the

fires.

President-elect Donald Trump planned to visit the disaster

zone after he is inaugurated next week, a source familiar with

the matter said.

With thousands of homeowners facing costly rebuilding, large

commercial banks, including JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) and Bank of America ( BAC ),

have announced plans to ease mortgage repayment conditions for

those affected. Insurers are looking at historic losses.