The National Weather Service on Wednesday extended the wildfire warning through the end of the week for much of East County.

The fierce Santa Ana winds that stoked a blaze that scorched thousands of acres near Los Angeles will wallop San Diego County early Wednesday, in the start of what forecasters say could be a week or more of off-and-on lashings in a region that’s drier than it’s been in years.

San Diego fire crews have deployed resources to help in the firefight against several major wildfires in the Los Angeles area that have destroyed hundreds of homes, forced thousands to evacuate and killed at least 2 people.

Santa Ana winds are one of the nation's most notorious wind events and an ongoing weather hazard in Southern California.