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.

The devastating wildfires ripping through northwest Los Angeles are still burning as firefighters respond to the threat facing southern California. Thousands of people have evacuated homes and businesses,

Multiple major wildfires are leaving a trail of destruction and death in the Los Angeles area.A handful of wildfires that kicked up Tuesday, powered by high winds and dry conditions, have exploded in size.