Arizona lends a hand with LA wildfires

• The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) sent two task forces to California earlier this week before the outbreak of the fires. Those consisted of nine fire engines, two water tenders and 39 people, according to agency spokesperson Tiffany Davila.
• Those crews have been assigned to the Eaton Fire near Pasadena.
• California has requested two additional task forces, which DFFM is working to fulfill, Davila said.

Zoom in: Three major wildfires that erupted this week are burning in the Los Angeles area — the Palisades Fire between Malibu and Santa Monica, which is the largest; the Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley area; and the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena.

• The fires have killed at least two people, destroyed around 1,000 structures and burned more than 5,000 acres as of Wednesday morning.
• Over 70,000 people are under evacuation orders, per the AP.
• The fires are 0% contained and spreading unchecked as the Santa Ana winds fan the flames.

Threat level: Warnings for "particularly dangerous" fire weather conditions and "extremely critical" risk continue as at least several significant fires burn in the LA metro area.

• Whipped by powerful Santa Ana winds gusting up to 99 mph, particularly in hilly terrain, the fires forced chaotic evacuations, particularly related to the Palisades Fire.

• High winds are driving the wildfires, with gusts of 50 to 70 mph and higher in some lower elevations.
• Near the Palisades Fire, winds have reached 98 mph, with 90 mph winds not far from the Eaton Fire.

Context: Climate change is intensifying hydroclimate extremes, both wet and dry, including weather whiplash events where California see-saws between the two.

• UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain referred to the high winds as an "atmospheric blow dryer" for its effects on trees and other vegetation.
• With dry conditions lasting later into the fall, that means Southern California is more vulnerable to dry high wind events, Swain noted.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.