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

Firefighters scrambled to corral a fast-moving wildfire in the Los Angeles hillsides dotted with celebrity homes as a "life-threatening, destructive" windstorm hit Southern California, fanning the blaze seen for miles while roads were clogged with cars as residents tried to flee.

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