The National Weather Service's warning about the “particularly dangerous situation” in which any new fire could explode in size in the Los Angeles area didn’t mention fire tornadoes

Wildfires tearing through Southern California have already burned tens of thousands of acres and structures down. Now, another threat is facing the area: fire tornadoes.

As if they aren’t already facing enough, firefighters in California also could encounter fire tornadoes — a rare but dangerous phenomenon in which wildfires create their own weather. The National Weather Service warned Tuesday that the combination of high winds and severely dry conditions have created a “particularly dangerous situation” in which any new fire could explode in size.