When the air is warm and dry, transpiration and evaporation also suck water out of the plants and soil. That leaves dry vegetation that can provide fuel for flying embers to spread wildfires, as the Los Angeles area saw in early January.

New maps constructed by Newsweek have revealed the extent of the damage caused by wildfires in California when compared to other cities. The wildfires in Southern California have led to the evacuations of over 130,

California fires have become some of the most destructive in Los Angeles history. With thousands of structures destroyed and lives lost, these wildfires are now ranking among the worst in the state’s history.