As the L.A. fires rage, we’re reminded of movies, books and songs that speak to the city’s love-hate relationship with the forces that shape it.

Los Angeles firefighters braced for intense winds that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already killed two dozen people, leveled entire neighborhoods and scorched an area the size of Washington,

Santa Ana winds occur when air flows west from a region of high pressure over the dry Great Basin to lower pressure off the California coast, According to Accuweather. As that cool interior air flows over and through mountain passes, it accelerates, sinks and compresses.