Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, low humidity and ongoing drought conditions, wildfires erupted Tuesday in Southern California, threatening homes in Pacific Palisades.

Santa Ana winds will create extreme fire danger and bring the possibility of damaging winds not seen in 10-plus years for some areas.

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.

The winds are common in California in the colder months, but they can sometimes help spread dangerous wildfires.

Southern California faces "extremely critical fire weather" with powerful winds that will result in "widespread" downed trees, power lines and electricity outages Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Weather Service warns.

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.