The winds are common in California in the colder months, but they can sometimes help spread dangerous wildfires.

The nature of the Santa Ana winds makes them perfectly suited to spreading flames. The destructive Palisades Fire is the latest example

Santa Ana winds in Southern California are often-fierce winds that topple power lines and trees and can turn a spark into a raging wildfire.

Southern California faces "extremely critical fire weather" with powerful winds that will result in "widespread" downed trees, power lines and electricity outages Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Weather Service warns.

Santa Ana winds are fueling dangerous wildfire conditions in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California.

Resident Nicolas Libonati said he saw a lot of abandoned cars on the road, and people running toward the coast. "It was kind of a surreal scene," he said.

Los Angeles, California has declared a state of emergency as a fast developing wildfire situation emerged last night, with the Pacific Palisades fire now