Harry and Meghan’s Montecito house is now on the sting of an ‘excessive hazard zone’ as LA braces for ‘explosive hearth development’ with hurricane pressure winds due at the moment

Harry and Meghan are now on the cusp of evacuation as the apocalyptic fires that have ravaged Los Angeles head towards their Montecito mansion.

Montecito has been placed under a red flag warning that was issued for much of southern California as LA braces for 70mph hurricane-force winds that are expected to pick up today and fuel ‘explosive fire growth’ across the region.

The Montecito Fire Department says the strong winds could cause fires to ‘grow rapidly’ and ‘behave erratically’, and has warned residents to be ‘ready to evacuate’.

This means that Harry and Meghan, who just four days ago opened their doors to friends and loved ones who evacuated the fires, could be forced to flee their sprawling $29million nine-bedroom home.

Meghan, 43, and Harry, 40, have rallied around LA fire victims by making donations to relief efforts through their Archewell Foundation and over the weekend served meals to survivors alongside the wife of embattled Governor Gavin Newsom. Their visit saw the Sussexes be branded ‘disaster tourists’.

The deadly wildfires, which have killed at least 24 people and burned more than 40,000 acres, have been fueled by high winds like the ones expected to whip up early Tuesday and continue through midday Wednesday.

Firefighters are currently battling four active fires across LA, the massive Palisades Fire that has burned more than 23,000 acres and is only 14 per cent contained.

The Eaton Fire near Pasadena, which consumed just over 14,000 acres, is roughly one-third contained and the smaller Hurst Fire, covering 799 acres, is almost completely under control.

A new blaze – known as the Auto Fire – broke out Monday night in Ventura County. The blaze, fueled by 20 to 30mph wind gusts, quickly grew to 56 acres in just a few hours and is not contained at all.

The red flag warning is currently in effect for the majority of southern California, extending from Ventura County through inland areas of San Diego County.

Conditions will be ‘particularly dangerous’ on Tuesday, when wind gusts could reach 65mph, the National Weather Service has warned.

The winds are predicted to pick up starting early Tuesday and continue through midday Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

A large part of Southern California around Los Angeles is under this extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley. 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says the winds are predicted to be ‘close to hurricane-force level’ and ‘urgent preparations’ are being made across the area.

LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone added that if winds reach 70mph, ‘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.

‘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.’

Officials said California state authorities were pre-positioning firefighting crews in LA as well as other Southern California counties that were also under elevated fire danger.

Additional water tankers and scores of firefighters arrived in the LA area on Monday, ahead of the forecasted return of fierce winds. 

More than 8,500 firefighters attacked the fires from the air and on the ground, preventing the conflagrations at either end of Los Angeles from spreading overnight. 

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.

Highlighting the risks, the new small but fast-moving Auto Fire erupted in scrubland in the bed of the Santa Clara River in Oxnard, Ventura County about 55 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Ground crews and several helicopters were working to contain the blaze, which was burning near a golf course but not yet threatening homes.

The two main wildfires erupted last week, fueled by hurricane-force winds bringing dry air from inland deserts. At least 24 people have died in the fires since then, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

The wildfires have destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 homes, cars and other structures – turning entire neighborhoods into smoldering ash and piles of rubble, leaving an apocalyptic landscape.

In less than a week, four fires around the nation’s second-biggest city have scorched more than 62 square miles and killed at least two dozen people.

Police say the death toll is likely to rise, especially since at least two dozen people are currently missing. 

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna, who acknowledged that residents are eager to return to their homes and neighborhoods to survey the damage, on Monday asked locals to stay patient.

‘We have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors,’ he said.

As of Monday, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders – down from a previous high of 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 and was 14 per cent contained.

The Eaton Fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city consumed another 14,117 acres and was 33 per cent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported.

A third fire – the Hurst Fire – of 799 acres north of town was 95 per cent contained and three other fires in the county have been fully brought under control in recent days.

Harry and Meghan visited an evacuation center in Pasadena – more than 90 miles away from their Montecito home – on Friday to help with relief efforts.

The couple were seen handing out food packages, speaking to survivors of the wildfires, mingling with volunteers and the city’s mayor, Victor Gordo.

The Sussexes were keen to provide any support they could, according to the mayor, saying they were ‘great people’ with ‘great personalities’.

‘They really buoyed the spirits of the first responders. We visited the command post at the Rose Bowl and people were very happy to see them,’ Gordo added.

But Hollywood actress Justine Bateman, 58, took to X/Twitter to blast the couple as ‘disaster tourists’ after they were spotted in footage dressed in plain clothes and speaking with victims and other helpers – and said they were only there for a ‘photo op’. 

Sources told PageSix that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex find her comments ‘offensive’ and Meghan’s heart is ‘broken’ due to her close ties with LA, including growing up in the area. 

The source told the outlet: ‘It’s offensive to Meghan and Harry that anybody would think this is merely a photo opportunity.

‘Meghan was born and raised in Los Angeles so this is, and always will be, home to her.’

The insiders added that Meghan is ‘not just a tourist’, and that her ‘heart is completely broken for all the lives that have been lost and for those whose homes have been destroyed in these fires’. 

The Sussexes also opened their home in Montecito to loved ones were forced to evacuate, and have donated money and essential items to fire relief organizations, it was reported.

Mayor 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 US, as well as Canada and Mexico.

‘We’re absolutely better prepared,’ Chief 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.

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.

The slower winds over the weekend allowed some people to return to previously evacuated areas. Many had no idea if their homes or neighborhoods were still standing.

But firefighters are still urging residents to stay away from burned neighborhoods filled with broken gas lines and unstable buildings.

Firefighters over the weekend fought flames in Mandeville Canyon – home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities – after the Palisades Fire spread, prompting new evacuation orders. 

Crews continued battling there Monday before potentially strong winds could push the flames toward the famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Beyoncé, Disney and other celebrities and entertainment organizations have pledged millions to help those who have been displaced or lost their homes. Other stars – and ordinary people – have left large donations of clothing and other items along street corners in around the city.

Dozens of people have been arrested for looting after the wildfires. Officials are now starting to see price gouging and scams, including with hotels and short-term rentals and medical supplies, said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

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

A lawsuit filed Monday claims the utility’s equipment sparked the much bigger Eaton Fire. Edison did not respond to a request for comment and last week said it had not received any suggestions that its equipment ignited that blaze.

AccuWeather’s early estimates suggest the fires could be the nation’s costliest ever, topping $250billion including what’s to come in the next days. The reconstruction cost for commercial and residential properties inside areas with active fires could be $14.8billion, according to real estate data tracker CoreLogic.

There have been more than a dozen wildfires in Southern California since January 1, mostly in the greater Los Angeles area.