Millions of people across Southern California are under a Red Flag warning as a dangerous windstorm fanned blazes in the Los Angeles area, including the Palisades Fire, which has triggered evacuations and burned hundreds of acres.

A major Santa Ana windstorm that has fanned destructive wildfires while also downing trees and knocking out power in Southern California continues Wednesday, but will ease some as we head into Thursday.

Santa Ana winds are common in Southern California during cooler months. Here’s a look at the often-fierce winds that topple power lines and trees and can turn a spark into a raging wildfire.

Wildfires and brush fires can quickly spread into neighborhoods in large part because flying embers start little fires that then set homes ablaze. In the catastrophic Palisades fire, one of the city's iconic thoroughfares was severely damaged and large swaths of homes were reduced to smoldering rubble.