A climate scientist who played a crucial role in saving hundreds of lives by warning about the LA wildfires has shared his belief that the worst is yet to come.

Since January 2, eight wildfires have spread across Los Angeles, destroying thousands of homes and businesses and forcing hundreds of thousands of residents, including some celebrities, to evacuate the area.

The LA County Medical Examiner’s Office reports that at least 24 people have died, though this number is expected to rise, with 16 individuals still unaccounted for, according to the BBC.

The situation is expected to worsen, with the return of the “devil winds,” or Santa Ana winds, which are expected to fan the flames as four major fires continue to rage in Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst, LBC reports.

Local meteorologist Edgar McGregor, from Altadena, has been hailed as a hero for potentially saving countless lives after warning the public about the fires. The 24-year-old, who posts localized weather updates on his Facebook page, Altadena Weather and Climate, urged LA residents on January 7 to stay alert and be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

Speaking to PEOPLE, McGregor shared: “I haven’t even been able to process that mentally.

“I didn’t run into a burning building and get third-degree burns trying to save someone’s life. So people are sending me all these comments and I’m thinking to myself, I just did my job.”

The scientist explained that he recognized the danger of the Santa Ana winds combined with dry conditions, noting: “I knew on December 30th that when this windstorm hit, the conditions would be carbon copies of the conditions that were on the ground in Lahaina, Hawaii, and in Paradise, which both were completely leveled and lost around a hundred people each.

“I told people, if a wildfire breaks out, there’ll be a thousand homes burned down. This would be cataclysmic.”

Now, the local weather expert has shared what he is most concerned about next, which he believes could lead to a disaster for Hollywood and Santa Barbara.

McGregor explained to the outlet: “I think for the most part the immediate threat is over.”

“The next couple of windstorms are not going to be all that impressive, especially not compared to what we saw on Tuesday. But it still hasn’t rained.

“So in the next couple of weeks, if we get another major windstorm, it could be Hollywood that faces disaster next. Santa Barbara. Any of these foothill towns. And then when it rains, we have the mudslides to get through.”

He added: “What I’m saying is, this is not over yet.”

McGregor also picks and disposes of trash from the Eaton Canyon, which gave him a clue that something was amiss as he noticed the dry canyon was full of wildfire ‘fuel’ like dead trees, adding: “I knew this was coming. I certainly didn’t think January was the month it would occur, but I hope that I did my job in warning everybody.”

What we know so far about the LA wildfires:

2 January

The first warning
The National Weather Service in the US issued a warning about possible strong Santa Ana winds and extreme fire conditions five days before the first wildfire started. In the following days, a Fire Weather Watch was declared, and both state and local authorities began issuing warnings for the Los Angeles area.