Tonight, we are continuing to keep a close eye on the devastating wildfires that are burning across the greater Los Angeles area.

For four days now, dry conditions and a powerful windstorm have fueled seven fires that so far have killed at least 11 people, including a 67-year-old great-grandfather of 10 named Anthony Mitchell, who was wheelchair bound and refused to leave

behind his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy. Anthony's son told NBC News that the two men were waiting

to be evacuated on Wednesday morning, but the Eaton Fire in Altadena spread too quickly. Others reportedly

died trying to protect homes that have been in their

families for decades. Sixty-six-year-old Victor Shaw was also killed in the Eaton fire. A family

friend told KTLA that Shaw's body was found on the side of a road with a garden hose in his hand.

Right now, officials say the death toll is not yet known, the real one at least, as recovery efforts have only just begun.

And new brush fires like the Archer fire, which broke out this morning in Granada Hills, they pose an active risk.

In terms of fighting these massive fires, the next 24 hours are going to be critical.

Red flag warnings in Los Angeles

were slated to be dropped just as we came on the air tonight, 9 p.m. Eastern and 6 p.m. Pacific,

confirmation from officials about those red flag warnings being dropped is expected imminently.

That means that the intense Santa Ana wins, which in the past few days reached hurricane four speeds, have finally

begun to die down at least for now. Forecasters at the National Weather Service expect the

reprieve to last about 18 hours, giving firefighters and emergency responders a small window to

contain the fires before winds are expected to pick back up again on Saturday

and then again on Monday when the next Santa Ana wind event is forecast to begin. At this hour,

firefighters are making considerable gains in containing some of the smaller fires,

including the Lydia fire, which is now 75% contained, and the Kenneth

and Hearst fires, which are both over 30% contained. The Palisades fire, which was the first

to erupt and was the largest fire at about 20,000 acres, is only 8% contained, while the

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