California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and suggested the worst could still be yet to come.

The powerful Santa Ana windstorm is toppling trees, creating dangerous surf and bringing extreme wildfire risk to areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.

California firefighters battled wind-whipped wildfires that tore across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.