When the air is warm and dry, transpiration and evaporation also suck water out of the plants and soil. That leaves dry vegetation that can provide fuel for flying embers to spread wildfires, as the Los Angeles area saw in early January.

With thousands of Los Angeles County residents forced to evacuate as the Palisades fire, Eaton fire and the Hurst fire burn through the region, local organizations are mobilizing to help displaced

Raging wildfires that continue to burn a path of destruction through Southern California claimed the Will Rogers ranch along with a number of other local landmarks in what is already the most damaging fire in Los Angeles history.

Wildfires have decimated more than 37,000 acres of the Los Angeles metropolitan area over the last several days, charring more than 12,000 structures, displacing over 150,000 residents and leaving at least 11 people dead.

MORE: Heidi Montag, Cameron Mathison among celebs sharing damage from California fires Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said during a press conference that despite prepositioning resources from Northern California,

At least 11 people are reported to have died and over 130,000 residents have been forced to flee in the wake of raging wildfires in the Los Angeles region, as firefighters have struggled to contain several blazes that continue to be fanned by strong winds.

Since the fires broke out, dozens of media outlets have reported resources for how to assist or escape those impacted by the wildfires, including Vogue, The Cut, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times,