Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said Tuesday that “life-threatening and destructive and widespread winds” are in the region, which could fuel the growth of new or existing wildfires in Los Angeles County and Ventura County.

Containing wildfires—never mind extinguishing them—in parched and windy conditions can be monstrously difficult. Dry vegetation is rocket fuel for blazes and wind both feeds the flames and spreads the embers. “The winds are like pointing an air blower at a fireplace,” says Gershunov, “except it’s not contained and it’s on a much larger scale.”

A Lamborghini picture during the Los Angeles fires,” the post’s caption begins. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. The Instagram post received more than 10,000 likes in two days.

While it may be impossible ever to know for sure, several variables could be at play for those homes that survive, experts say: a smart, fire-resilient design; an owners’ preparation, like clearing away flammable vegetation;

More than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools and other structures have been destroyed by raging wildfires that began ripping through the Greater Los Angeles area last Tuesday. Cal Fire said in an update Monday that a total of 40,