Thousands of people fled their homes as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades quickly spread to 2,921 acres Tuesday, a blaze authorities said could grow further as even stronger winds are expected through the night.

Wildfires and strong winds in Southern California have devastated the region burning thousands of acres and causing at least 30,000 evacuations.

High-speed winds this week have the potential to knock over semitrucks and cause other hazardous driving situations. Here's what to know.

Parts of Southern California, including Los Angeles, are under an extreme fire risk on Wednesday as Santa Ana winds continue to impact the region. The threat will lessen slightly on Thursday before ramping up again later in the week.

Santa Ana winds in Southern California are often-fierce winds that topple power lines and trees and can turn a spark into a raging wildfire.

A Santa Ana windstorm brings wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph for parts of Southern California with 100-mph winds possible on mountaintops.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme weather warning of a life-threatening and destructive windstorm

Forecasters warned Southern California could see a “life-threatening, destructive” windstorm this week, as powerful gusts and dropped humidity levels raise the risk for wildfires in parched areas still recovering from a recent destructive blaze.