Powerful Santa Ana winds, near hurricane strength at times, swept down the mountains outside Los Angeles and pushed wildfires into several neighborhoods starting Jan. 7, 2025. Well over 1,000 homes and several schools had burned by Jan. 8, and at least five people had died. Officials urged more than 100,000 residents to evacuate at the height of the fires, but with the winds so strong, there was little firefighters could do to control the flames.
Jon Keeley, a research ecologist in California with the U.S. Geological Survey and adjunct professor at UCLA, explains what causes extreme winds like this in Southern California and why they create such a dangerous fire risk.
