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.

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.

The home of Will Rogers, the famed 1930s actor known for playing a cowboy in Hollywood movies, was incinerated by wildfires that are plaguing Southern California this week.

California wildfires force mass evacuations and destroy over 10,000 structures, including Will Rogers' historic ranch, a vital piece of Oklahoma history.