Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Maroney and Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said Friday that crews have mobilized thousands of firefighters and aircraft as weather forecasters predicted high winds that could hamper suppression efforts.

"The Eaton fire is now estimated to be 14,117 acres with 33% containment. We gained no acreage yesterday, which is a very good thing," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Maroney said, adding that 3,408 firefighting personnel were assigned to the Eaton incident and that about 26% of dwelling damage inspections had been completed.

The scale of the Palisades fire was higher, Crowley said. "This fire is now at 23,713 acres with 14% containment with 5,123 personnel assigned to the Palisades incident," Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said, and she described prepositioned engine strike teams and task forces dedicated to rapid response.

Why this matters: fire officials said increasing wind speeds and low humidities create critical conditions across Los Angeles County that can rapidly expand active fires and reduce the usefulness of aerial resources.

State, federal and local aircraft and military aviation have been staged, Maroney said, and a state mobilization center in Banning is available to send resources into the county. Still, multiple incident-management officials warned that aircraft have safety and effectiveness limits when winds gust strongly.

"Each aircraft will have that limitation based on the manufacturer's recommendation," Jeremy Gagne of CAL FIRE said. "The problem is the gust. . . . As an overall general rule, the gust is what is the issue, and this is what the gust that we've been having." CAL FIRE representative Jerry Magana added that "sustained winds over 40 [mph] is pretty much going to ground most aircraft" and that gusts over about 30 mph pose safety and accuracy problems.

Maroney also noted aircraft availability after an earlier drone incursion damaged a CL-415 Super Scooper: "Our CL-415 Super Scooper that was damaged because of a drone incursion is reportedly going to be flying tomorrow morning. It has been repaired, and we're waiting for the FAA to give us approval to fly again." He stressed that mutual aid offers have not been declined.

The chiefs said ground crews remain the backbone of the response. "We have a lot of people on the ground that can still fight the fire," Maroney said, urging residents in brush-prone areas to be prepared to evacuate if warned.

Officials said they will continue to adjust tactics as weather evolves and emphasized that residents should follow evacuation orders and warnings.

Looking ahead, the chiefs said crews will continue suppression and containment work while monitoring aviation safety limits as gusts increase.