RickyAlvarado looks over the charred remains of his home at the SeminoleSprings Mobile Home Park, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, after theneighborhood was devastated by wildfires in Agoura Hills, Calif.(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Updated Monday, November 12, 2018, 4:12 p.m. ET

The wildfires that killed at least 31 in California became someof the worst in state history as high winds and “extremeconditions” drove flames across bone-dry hills and mountains.

The Camp Fire in Northern California and the Woolsey Fire insuburban Los Angeles have destroyed more than 6,700 structures andcould cost the state, insurers and homeowners at least $19 billionin damage.

The state's two largest utilities both fell sharply, withNorthern California's PG&E Corp. losing as much as 38%, themost intraday in 16 years.

New fire broke out Monday near Simi Valley

It could take another five days before firefighters put outWoolsey and the rest of the month to extinguish the Camp Fire, theCalifornia Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire,said. Meanwhile, 149,000 people remain evacuated, Mark Ghilarducci,director of California's Office of Emergency Services, said onSunday. Another fire broke out Monday in Ventura County, promptingofficials to close the 118 freeway near the city of SimiValley.

Gusts of up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour are expected tobuffet Southern California through Tuesday, fanning flames andpotentially carrying embers onto rooftops and over roadways, LosAngeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said during a newsconference Monday.

“These are extreme conditions,” Osby said. “We're in extremeclimate changes now.”

Blazes have spread to more than 200,000 acres

The blazes have now spread to more than 200,000 acres andthreaten to destroy tens of thousands of structures, according toCal Fire. About 228 people remain unaccounted for in the vicinityof the northern blaze. Governor Jerry Brown, meanwhile, hasformally asked President Donald Trump to release new federal aid ina “major disaster declaration.''

“We're putting everything we've got into the fight against thesefires, and this request ensures communities on the front lines getadditional federal aid,” Brown said in a statement.

Initially, Trump had threatened to withhold money fromCalifornia because of what he called “gross mismanagement of theforests.” His later tweets were more measured, saying that “ourhearts are with those fighting the fires.” On Sunday, Trump tweetedagain to encourage “proper” management to “stop the devastationconstantly going on in California.”

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump There is no reason forthese massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California exceptthat forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are giveneach year, with so many lives lost, all because of grossmismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fedpayments! Sent via Twitter for iPhone.

Osby, the Los Angeles County fire chief, said the president'scomments were “very hurtful to all first responders who are puttingtheir lives on the line to protect lives and property.”

Possible damages of about $25 billion

The damage north of San Francisco and near Los Angeles could beon par with the type of destruction triggered by Hurricane Michael,which left Florida in disarray earlier this year, said ChuckWatson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research.

“The California fires are as bad as folks think they are,”Watson said, pegging possible damages of about $25 billion.“Insurance for fire is already becoming an issue in California andthis won't help that industry.”

Camp Fire has now destroyed more structures than any otherwildfire in state history, according to data compiled by Cal Fire.In Southern California, the Woolsey blaze has consumed almost92,000 acres and is 20% contained, Osby said.

Investigating electrical equipment

Authorities are investigating electrical equipment as one ofseveral possible causes of the fire north of San Francisco. APG&E transmission line in the area went offline 15 minutesbefore the Camp blaze was first reported, the company said in aregulatory filing. The company also reported finding a damagedtransmission tower near where investigators say the fire began.

Edison's Southern California Edison utility said a power outageoccurred near the suspected starting point of one of the fires nearLos Angeles and that a sensor detected a disturbance in itsequipment minutes before the blaze was reported. Osby said theorigin of the blaze remains under investigation. Edison said itwould cooperate with the probe.

Trading in PG&E Corp. was briefly halted Monday after sharesplummeted. Edison fell as much as 25%.

For more coverage like this, explore our wildfires & theirdestruction Instant Insights page.

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California fires looking as costly as hurricane at $19billion

The most destructive series of wildfires in California historycould cost the state, insurers and homeowners at least $19 billionin damages, as firefighters struggled to gain control in swirlingwinds across vast swaths of the state.

Related: Insurance lessons learned from the 2017 Californiawildfires

The carnage caused by fires north of San Francisco and near LosAngeles could be on par with the type of destruction triggered by Hurricane Michael,which left Florida in disarray earlier this year, said ChuckWatson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research who pegged thehurricane's damages at some $25 billion.

More than 6,700 structures torched, 31 killed

Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano told reporters Sunday thatthe Camp Fire, which charred the town of Paradisein Northern California, and the Woolsey Fire, insuburban L.A., have already killed 31 residents. They've torchedmore than 6,700 structures.

“The California fires are as bad as folks think they are,”Watson said. “Insurance for fire is already becoming an issue inCalifornia and this won't help that industry.”

Related: Wildfire issues and insuring tovalue

Weather forecasters are predicting more winds for California andno sign of the seasonal rain that typically dampens the brush inNorthern California in time to prevent such disasters. Instead,some 250,000 people have already fled their homes across the state,including in Malibu, the coastal enclave of the rich and famous.Some 149,000 people remain evacuated, Mark Ghilarducci, director ofCalifornia'sOffice of Emergency Services, said Sunday.

Request for emergency funding

Governor Jerry Brown formally asked President Donald Trump torelease new federal aid in a “major disaster declaration.'' Therequest for emergency funding to support housing, crisis managementand infrastructure recovery efforts came a day after Trumpthreatened to withhold federal payments to California.

“We're putting everything we've got into the fight against thesefires, and this request ensures communities on the front lines getadditional federal aid,” Brown said in a writtenstatement.Initially, Trump had threatened to withhold money becauseof what he called “gross mismanagement of the forests.” His latertweets were more measured, saying that “our hearts are with thosefighting the fires.” On Sunday, Trump tweeted again to encourage“proper” management to “stop the devastation constantly going on inCalifornia.”

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump More than 4,000 arefighting the Camp and Woolsey Fires in California that have burnedover 170,000 acres. Our hearts are with those fighting the fires,the 52,000 who have evacuated, and the families of the 11 who havedied. The destruction is catastrophic. God Bless themall. Sent via Twitter for iPhone.

Abnormally dry

As of Nov. 6, all of California is abnormally dry, up fromnearly 85% the week before, according to the U.S. Drought Monitorin Lincoln, Nebraska. Almost 52% of California's land met droughtdefinitions.

“Statewide we are in a climate change and it is going to be herefor the foreseeable future,” said Daryl Osby, chief of the LosAngeles County Fire Department. “Six out of the last seven years,we've been in a drought.”

8,000 firefighters

The blazes have spread to more than 196,000 acres and threatento destroy tens of thousands of structures, according to theCalifornia Departmentof Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. About 50,000homes and businesses have lost power, and 8,000 local, state andfederal firefighters are on the scene.

Authorities are investigating electrical equipment as one ofseveral possible causes of the Camp blaze, about 150 miles (240kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, Cal Fire spokesman ScottMcLean said. Utility PG&E Corp. is still struggling to copewith losses from last year's deadly fires that could cost it asmuch as $17.3 billion in liabilities, according to a JPMorgan Chase& Co. estimate.

Related: 16 do's and don'ts when you return home after awildfire

Almost half of California faces an elevated risk for fires, withsome 15.5 million people living in critical areas that include LosAngeles and San Jose, according to Brian Squitieri, a fire-weatherforecaster at the U.S. Climate Prediction Center in Norman,Oklahoma.

Winds expected to spread blaze through Tuesday

The so-called Camp Fire has now destroyed more structures thanany other wildfire in state history, according to data compiled byCal Fire. In Southern California, the Woolsey blaze had consumed83,275 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties by early Sundayand was only 10% contained. Winds are causing that blaze to spread,a situation that will continue through Tuesday, Los Angeles CountySheriff Department Chief John Benedict said Sunday.

The worst situation is forecast for an area around SantaAna, Riverside, Anaheimand San Bernardino, where winds will channelthrough the terrain reaching upwards of 30 miles (48 kilometers)per hour, the climate center said. That will put almost 8 millionpeople in “a volatile environment for wildfire potential.”

While the weather in many areas could improve Monday, conditionsin Southern California and parts of the Sacramento Valley willremain extreme.

Utilities investigated

A PG&E transmission line in the area went offline 15 minutesbefore the Camp blaze was first reported, the company said in aregulatory filing. The company also reported finding a damagedtransmission tower near where investigators say the fire began. Andfirefighter radio transmissions reviewed by the San JoseMercury News included calls about downed power lines.

State investigators linked equipment owned by PG&E to 17fires that burned in the state last year. Shares of PG&E, whichprovides electricity in Northern California, fell more than 16% onNov. 9, the most since 2002. Edison International, which servesmuch of the southern part of the state, dropped 12%.

Related: Protecting your business operations and people fromwildfires

Edison's Southern California Edison utility said late Fridaythat it had a power outage near the vicinity of the suspectedstarting point for the so-called Woolsey Fire, according to aregulatory filing. The utility said that a sensor detected adisturbance in its equipment two minutes before the fire was firstreported, according to the filing.

Southern California Edison said there had been no determinationof origin or cause of the wildfires and the utility will cooperatewith the investigation, according to a statement issued lateFriday.

Southern California

In Southern California, the Hill Fire hastorched about 4,500 acres in Ventura County, but has been containedup to 70%.

Malibu — which has been home to Hollywood starsincluding Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman — was evacuatedafter flames swept south across the Santa Monica Mountains towardthe sea.

Related: Fierce California winds provide no relief fromdeadly fires

Meanwhile, decreasing winds in Northern California are loweringthe risk that a fire burning near Chico, which has already torchedabout 110,000 acres, will continue to spread. Still, the blazeforced 52,000 residents to evacuate from several nearby towns.Governor Brown says he considers it clear that the reason for theraging fires is the changing global climate.

'New abnormal'

“This is not the new normal, this is the new abnormal,” Browntold reporters on Sunday. “It will continue for the next 10 to 15to 20 years. The best science is telling us that this warmth anddryness will intensify. This is a real challenge herethreatening our whole way of life.”

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