The Kenneth Fire was threatening houses in the Hidden Hills, home to many celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner, and was 50 percent contained Friday afternoon.

The Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow down the mountains toward the Southern California coast. The region sees about 10 Santa Ana wind events a year on average, typically occurring from fall into January. When conditions are dry, as they are right now, these winds can become a severe fire hazard.

Neighbors held man, seen with propane torch, until cops arrive, leading to a potential break in Kenneth Fire investigation.

Katabatic winds? Adiabatic compression? Time for a thermodynamics lesson! The record lack of rain has also made this Santa Ana event different.

A new brush fire erupted in the West Hills area Thursday afternoon. The Kenneth Fire triggered mandatory evacuations in the area, including Calabasas.

Just a few years after the ozone hole was detected via satellite, the industrialized nations of the world, meeting in Montreal in 1987, adopted what is known as the Montreal Protocol.

As winds across the Southern California area are calmer than their peak and firefighters are making progress, the threat to the fire-weary region remains with Santa Ana winds expected to continue in the coming days.

In recent days, however, the region’s powerful Santa Ana winds—which have been fanning the flames—have begun to slow down. This lull has offered firefighters a reprieve and a key opportunity to make progress against the blazes, but forecasts suggest the Santa Ana will return next week. What are these gusts, and how have they become so strong?

The Santa Ana winds fanning wildfires that have killed at least 25 people in Southern California and destroyed more than 10,000 houses, businesses and other structures in Greater Los Angeles are flaring up again.

At least 25 people have been killed and more than 40,000 acres burned as the wildfires race through southern California for a ninth day

The devastating wildfires have also destroyed businesses, land and homes owned by Hollywood A-listers like Paris Hilton, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. Other celebrities impacted include Mark Hamill, Sir Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman and Billy Crystal, who all fled their homes.

Topography matters, too — treeless mountain peaks are typically windier without those trees, or buildings, to slow the winds. And different parts of Earth — water and land — heat from sunlight at different rates, which shapes wind.