Containing wildfires—never mind extinguishing them—in parched and windy conditions can be monstrously difficult. Dry vegetation is rocket fuel for blazes and wind both feeds the flames and spreads the embers. “The winds are like pointing an air blower at a fireplace,” says Gershunov, “except it’s not contained and it’s on a much larger scale.”

Forecasters warn that dangerous winds will buffet Southern California for at least two more days as new wildfires broke out and a pair of major Los Angeles-area blazes burned for a third week.