Red flag weather warning: A National Weather Service alert that warns the public — especially fire officials and firefighters — that strong winds are expected in specific areas of Southern California, and that there will be potentially dangerous fire weather conditions within the next 12 to 24 hours.

Dire warnings have been issued for the Los Angeles area, with a dangerous threat for the strongest wind event in more than a decade. Outages and extreme fire behaviours are major risks

Thousands of people fled their homes as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades quickly spread to 1,260 acres Tuesday, a blaze which authorities said could grow further as even stronger winds are expected through the night.