Parts of Southern California are still facing "elevated to brief "critical conditions" into Thursday night as a fast-moving wildfire that forced thousands in Malibu to evacuate continues to grow.Threat level: Red Flag warnings ended as powerful Santa Ana winds eased on Wednesday afternoon,

The fire erupted during extreme Santa Ana winds. The National Weather Service issued "a particularly dangerous" red-flag warning for much of the local area for the second time in a little over a month. Those are triggered during extreme conditions, ones that can cause fires to ignite easily and spread quickly, officials said.

Power to tens of thousands of people had been shut off by Monday night as utilities worked to mitigate the impacts of Southern California’s notorious Santa Ana winds, whose strong gusts could damage electrical equipment and spark wildfires.