California fires updates: Death toll in Los Angeles fires rises to 29

Search and rescue operations are ongoing, and residents forced to evacuate from the fires are still "probably at least a week out" from returning home, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

"We still have a variety of work and structures to go through," Luna said, noting that some areas are being held because officials believe there may be deceased victims there and crews need to the right resources to process the scenes properly.

The "entire city family is working collaboratively to get you back into your homes and communities as soon and as safely as possible," LA City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley added.

The sheriff’s department currently has 31 active missing person reports: 24 from the Eaton Fire and seven from the Palisades Fire, Luna said. The LAPD has eight missing persons cases: five were most likely found dead and three remain missing, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.

The Eaton Fire, which destroyed blocks of homes in Altadena, is now 55% contained.

The Eaton Fire has damaged or destroyed 7,000 structures, making it the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history and second-most destructive in state history.

Officials giving an update on the Palisades Fire on Wednesday said they have generated more than 150 leads as they probe the cause and progress of the blaze.

Jose Medina, acting special agent in charge of the ATF Los Angeles Field Division, said investigators are scouring video from state owned cameras that were in place in the area, from residents in the area and from social media posts.

Investigators have conducted interviews with individuals that initiated the 911 calls and the first responders to the Jan. 7 blaze, as well as the fire that was started in the area and put out on Jan. 1, he said.

Medina appealed to any hikers who were on nearby trails around Skull Rock on the morning of Jan. 7 to contact investigators. "We are talking to individuals about not just what they saw, but what they smelled and they heard," he said.

"Even if you were in the area and saw or smelled nothing that too could be valuable information," Medina said.

Asked if rekindling of the Jan. 1 fire appeared the most likely cause, Medina said investigators "are not leading towards anything right now. We're taking everything in evaluating all the evidence we received, but it's too early on in the investigation to make any determination."

-ABC News' Lissette Rodriguez

Red flag warnings remain in effect as high winds and low humidity, which could fuel wildfires, threaten the Los Angeles area.

Winds are forecast to peak at 40 to 55 mph in the mountains with isolated gusts up to 70 mph. The coast and valleys will see 35 to 50 mph gusts.

These winds will wind down by Wednesday evening. The winds will be much calmer Thursday and Friday.