Southern California faces a period of "extremely critical" fire danger as strong Santa Ana winds create tinderbox-like conditions in metro Los Angeles and other areas from Wednesday through Friday. Threat level: The National Weather Service has raised the alert level for this fire weather event to the highest on the scale,

Los Angeles, Ventura counties and Santa Barbara counties face especially high risks of wildfires as tens of thousands of residents face possible power shutoffs — with forecasters announcing a rare weather advisory that's typically issued only once every few years,

Santa Ana winds will bring an increased risk for fast-moving wildfires Friday and into the weekend in Southern California.

Gusty Santa Ana winds are expected to return Wednesday and continue into Thursday, bringing with them elevated fire risk, officials said.

Residents in Southern California face an extreme fire weather threat Wednesday as dry conditions overlap with strong Santa Ana winds.