Since the first flames sparked in the Santa Ana winds on January 7, at least 16 have been confirmed dead, 12,000 structures have been destroyed, and over 150,000 residents have been ordered to leave their homes.

Santa Ana winds occur when air flows west from a region of high pressure over the dry Great Basin to lower pressure off the California coast, According to Accuweather. As that cool interior air flows over and through mountain passes, it accelerates, sinks and compresses.

After a brief respite, crews from California and nine other states, along with Canadian and Mexican reinforcements, face another round of dangerous conditions.

“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill and Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis are among those whose homes are at risk as fires continue to break out across Los Angeles, causing more than 30,000 people to flee the Pacific Palisades as well as parts of Malibu and Santa Monica. Hamill posted an update on his Instagram on …

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.

With the strongest gusts expected on Tuesday, extreme fire condition threats will prevail until midweek, L.A.-area fire chiefs say.

Officials said there is “significant fire weather ahead of us” as high winds are expected to fuel through Wednesday. The wind-fed wildfires have killed at least 24 people and swept through 40,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area.

Helping drive the wildfires in the US city of Los Angeles are the so-called Santa Ana winds, a weather phenomenon known to dry out "the hills and the nerves to

Owing to fast-spreading fires, SoCalGas officials said the utility had temporarily shut off natural gas service to 16,700 customers Saturday in the Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre communities. SoCalGas was working with contractors and mutual aid from San Diego Gas and Electric,