The blaze began shortly after the start of a Santa Ana windstorm that the National Weather service warned could be the strongest to hit Southern California in more than a decade.

The Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires covered more than 5,600 acres of Southern California as of Wednesday morning. Tens of thousands were under mandatory evacuation orders but the fires increased in size overnight, helped by the blustery Santa Ana winds.

Extreme weather conditions in Southern California fueled by ferocious Santa Ana winds have created at least four wildfires, leading to at least two deaths, multiple injuries, thousands of mandatory evacuations, and widespread property destruction. ➤ Get weather and fire alerts via text: Sign up to get current wildfire updates by location