Fast-moving fires forced more than 30,000 people in the Los Angeles area to evacuate their homes on Tuesday as skies turned red and fierce winds downed trees and power lines.

The wind storm was expected to cause more destruction overnight and into Wednesday. The two large fires – one in the Pacific Palisades and the other in the mountains above Pasadena – were not at all contained as of Tuesday evening and winds were expected to reach up to 100 miles per hour, the strongest Southern California has ever experienced more than one Decade.

Here’s the latest on the flames:

Where do the fires burn?

The fires burned on opposite sides of the Los Angeles area. To the west, the Palisades Fire had burned more than 2,900 acres of land in Pacific Palisades, a coastal neighborhood west of downtown Los Angeles. The fire spread quickly over the course of Tuesday. In the afternoon, the fire doubled in size in about three hours.

To the east, another fire broke out in the evening in Eaton Canyon, in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena. The fire, dubbed the Eaton Fire, had destroyed 400 acres within hours.

And to the north, the Hurst Fire quickly grew to 100 acres and forced evacuations in Sylmar, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

How many houses were destroyed?

Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley said Tuesday afternoon that several buildings had been damaged in Pacific Palisades, but it was unclear exactly how many homes or buildings were damaged by the fires.

Officials say more than 10,000 households and about 13,000 buildings are at risk in the Palisades fire area.

At least 550 homes are threatened by the Eaton fire, said Lisa Derderian, a spokeswoman for Pasadena.

Why did these large fires break out at the same time?

Meteorologists had warned this week of damaging wind gusts of 50 to 80 miles per hour and even over 100 miles per hour in the mountains. The winds combined with dry air have created a critical fire weather event in Southern California. The hills are covered with vegetation even after two rainy winters that preceded this one. “This is as bad as it can get in terms of fire weather,” forecasters said.

Catastrophic fires often occur in California during the winter and late fall.

In times without significant rainfall, like this winter, the vegetation is extremely dry. And cooler weather in California coincides with the Santa Ana winds, the strong and dry gusts that blow from Nevada and Utah to Southern California – and are linked to the region’s most devastating fires.

In mid-November 2018, the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history broke out, destroying the Northern California town of Paradise.

Are the fires expected to grow further on Wednesday?

Unfortunately yes. On Tuesday evening, firefighters limited themselves to fighting the fires from the ground as the aircraft remained grounded due to strong winds and both fires could not be contained at all.

Winds were expected to peak between 10pm local time on Tuesday and 5am on Wednesday, conditions that could lead to the fires spreading rapidly. Although winds are expected to ease Wednesday afternoon, they will be moderately strong in Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Thursday, according to the weather agency.

Fire officials are asking people who have not yet evacuated but live near the fires to remain vigilant as the fires are likely to spread quickly and unpredictably in the coming hours. And they’re urging everyone in Southern California to be wary of new fires.