By 7 a.m., the utility company had already shut power to 13,800 customers in the four counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura, with numbers expected to rise as winds pick up through the morning.

California was lashed by powerful winds Wednesday that caused humidity levels to drop and raised the risk of wildfires in much of the state. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles amended its red flag warning for increased fire danger with a rare “particularly dangerous situation” label.

California is being lashed by powerful winds that fed a fast-moving wildfire that destroyed homes and forced hundreds of residents to flee in Ventura County

Firefighters are battling two fast-growing wildfires in Southern California Wednesday as the state experiences a “particularly dangerous” fire weather event.

California was lashed by powerful winds Wednesday that fed a fast-moving wildfire, which destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee as forecasters warned of the potential for “extreme and life-threatening” blazes.