Thousands of firefighters worked to contain new blazes Thursday, including one near the affluent Bel-Air neighborhood, while persistent winds left weary Angelenos on edge following weeks of historic fires.

Containing wildfires—never mind extinguishing them—in parched and windy conditions can be monstrously difficult. Dry vegetation is rocket fuel for blazes and wind both feeds the flames and spreads the embers. “The winds are like pointing an air blower at a fireplace,” says Gershunov, “except it’s not contained and it’s on a much larger scale.”

Rain has finally returned to wildfire-scorched Los Angeles — but now officials are warning flooding and landslides could wreak more chaos on the battered city along its “burn scars.” The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the area from 4 p.