A fire engine drives near flames as the Franklin Fire overtakes Civic Center Way in Malibu, California, USA on December 10, 2024.Jon Putman/SOPA Images/ZUMA

This story was originally published by High Country News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

In Southern California, December wildfires are somewhat uncommon, but not completely out of the norm. And this year, extremely dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds created the perfect recipe for dangerous late-year fires.

On the night of December 9, the Franklin Fire sparked in the hills above Malibu, tearing through about 3,000 acres in just 24 hours. As of midday on December 12, the fire was less than 10 percent contained, burning just over 4,000 acres and destroying at least seven structures.

Last month, the Mountain Fire ignited under similar conditions in Ventura County, growing to 1,000 acres in the first hour alone. Within two days, it was over 20,000 acres; 240 structures were destroyed before firefighters contained it in early December.

And it still hasn’t rained—not since the Mountain Fire, nor throughout the entire fall.

It’s true that Santa Ana winds—dry winds that blow from the high desert out........

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