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.

As a fire ignited in the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, the winds crashed over and through the mountains like white water rapids. Winds as strong as those in a hurricane propelled the flames through dense urban neighborhoods, and swirling fire whirls danced from home to home, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

Four fast-moving wildfires are spreading across communities in the Los Angeles area. High winds have dramatically raised the risk of wildfires for the next several days. Palisades Fire A brush fire in Pacific Palisades has grown to more than 17,