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

Here's a look at the latest maps of the five active Southern California wildfires and what containment means when it comes to fighting fires.

Coverage of the fires ravaging Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, including stories about the devastation, issues firefighters faced and the weather.

At least five people are dead and many more injured as several fires broke out across Southern California amid historically dry and windy conditions.

Thousands of people have fled their homes as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades has grown to more than 17,000 acres Wednesday.