When the air is warm and dry, transpiration and evaporation also suck water out of the plants and soil. That leaves dry vegetation that can provide fuel for flying embers to spread wildfires, as the Los Angeles area saw in early January.

With thousands of Los Angeles County residents forced to evacuate as the Palisades fire, Eaton fire and the Hurst fire burn through the region, local organizations are mobilizing to help displaced

Raging wildfires that continue to burn a path of destruction through Southern California claimed the Will Rogers ranch along with a number of other local landmarks in what is already the most damaging fire in Los Angeles history.

Some Los Angeles fire hydrants ran dry in recent days as demand soared for water to quell fast-moving wildfires.

While the cause of each blaze has yet to be determined, all burned in or near foothill communities amid gusty winds and dry air and vegetation.

Extreme weather conditions in Southern California fueled by ferocious Santa Ana winds have created at least six wildfires, leading to at least five deaths, multiple injuries, 180,000 mandatory evacuations and widespread property destruction.

In response to the California wildfires near Los Angeles, CalFire Marshal Daniel Berlant gives details of the battle and devastation Jan. 9, 2025.