Firefighters and aircraft have been attacking the fires around LA with a real sense of urgency, because winds across the region are already picking up and meant to strengthen in the coming days. Officials say strong desert winds,

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.

See maps of where mandatory evacuation orders as well as warnings are in place for wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area.

Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted Tuesday and roared across the Los Angeles area.