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.

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.

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