What We Know About the Wildfires Raging in Southern California NYT | Top Stories Jesus Jiménez and Soumya Karlamangla 8 January 2025 at 21:49 The fast-moving fires are intensifying because of fierce winds, the strongest in Southern California in more than a decade. © Philip Cheung for The New York TimesThe fires in Southern California have forced the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes.