Powerful winds and low humidity raise wildfire risk across California as blaze erupts near Malibu
California was lashed by powerful winds Wednesday that caused humidity levels to drop and prompted forecasters to warn of the potential for “extreme and life-threatening” wildfires. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a small blaze fed by erratic gusts that pushed flames through dry brush at a park along Pacific Coast Highway near Pepperdine University in Malibu.