A “particularly dangerous situation” fire weather event is underway in California as dry air and strong winds combine to ramp up the risk of “life-threatening” and rapid wildfire spread.

Fire officials warned of a "particularly dangerous situation" in LA and Ventura Counties, the highest threat level. LOS ANGELES (CN) — High winds raked much of California and spurred a handful of wildfires Wednesday, including one in the wealthy seaside enclave of Malibu.

Los Angeles, Ventura counties and Santa Barbara counties face especially high risks of wildfires as tens of thousands of residents face possible power shutoffs — with forecasters announcing a rare weather advisory that's typically issued only once every few years,

Wind gusts topping 70 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains are providing a taste of the conditions that are expected to continue into Thursday.

Residents in Southern California face an extreme fire weather threat Wednesday as dry conditions overlap with strong Santa Ana winds.

Southern California faces a period of "extremely critical" fire danger as strong Santa Ana winds create tinderbox-like conditions in metro Los Angeles and other areas from Wednesday through Friday. Threat level: The National Weather Service has raised the alert level for this fire weather event to the highest on the scale,

Strong Santa Ana winds are expected to start sweeping across parts of Southern California by Wednesday, Nov. 6 — prompting concerns about potential wildfires. “All the wind-prone areas in Ventura and Los Angeles counties are going to see pretty significant winds starting late (Tuesday) night or early Wednesday morning,