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.

The alert status for heightened combustion hazards in the county's inland valleys and mountains went into effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday and will last until 6 p.m. Friday.