When the air is warm and dry, transpiration and evaporation also suck water out of the plants and soil. That leaves dry vegetation that can provide fuel for flying embers to spread wildfires, as the Los Angeles area saw in early January.

Here's a look at the latest maps of the five active Southern California wildfires and what containment means when it comes to fighting fires.

Raging wildfires that continue to burn a path of destruction through Southern California claimed the Will Rogers ranch along with a number of other local landmarks in what is already the most damaging fire in Los Angeles history.

Rows of cars at a dealership, blasted by flames, looked like they had been bombed. A man wearing a mask walked by debris of a neighborhood destroyed. A couple, arms around each other, looked at what was left of their smoldering home. A statue of a human, without a head, lay on a street.

While the cause of each blaze has yet to be determined, all burned in or near foothill communities amid gusty winds and dry air and vegetation.

Among thousands of reports of property damage and loss in the blazing California wildfires, two historic sites suffered significant losses.

Devastating wildfires continue to burn across Southern California, killing at least five and forcing hundreds of thousands out of their homes.

The parks are home to iconic historical homes, including Will Rogers’ ranch house and the Topanga Ranch Motel, once owned by William Randolph Hearst.