The wildfire quickly swelled throughout the day. By mid-afternoon homes were destroyed and dozens of cars were abandoned on streets.

A live camera from the state's Alert California network shows billowing smoke from a burning hillside near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in the Santa Monica Mountains. Dire warnings have been issued for the Los Angeles area after forecasters say there is the potential for the strongest wind event in more than a decade.

A high wind warning is in effect for the Los Angeles area from 4 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Wednesday. As of 5:24 a.m., the fiercest winds, at up to 79 mph, have been reported in the San Gabriel Mountains at the Mount Lukens Truck Trail above La Cañada Flintridge.

Parts of Southern California will see winds up to 100 mph on Tuesday and "extreme wildfire risk" as Santa Ana winds tear through the region, according to a map created by AccuWeather meteorologists. Newsweek reached out to AccuWeather by email for comment.

Maps released by the National Weather Service show what areas in Southern California will be hit the hardest by what could be the strongest windstorm in more than a decade. National Weather Service What you need to know about Los Angeles area windstorm The National Weather Service said the windstorm would begin in Tuesday afternoon across Los