CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - The wildfires in Los Angeles continue to spread as the Santa Ana winds continue to impact southern California.  The wildfires in Los Angeles have been catastrophic and deadly. One of the factors that is playing into why the fires have been so bad is because of the Santa Ana winds.  How did the wildfires in Los Angeles start? The Santa Ana winds are created by strong high pressure typically in the desert of Nevada or Arizona. High pressure turns clockwise and as air rotates around an area of high pressure it gets pushed towards the west into California creating windy conditions.  As the wind moves over the mountains of California, especially in Los Angeles, the air warms up and dries out as it moves into the valley and to the coastline. This dry and warm air is fuel to the wildfires and allows them to spread quickly.  As the area of high pressure breaks down over the next few days, the wind will weaken, and this should help with getting the fires under control.  Local News Headlines Critical drought tag dropped in three Massachusetts regions Santa Ana winds continue to fuel Los Angeles wildfires Farm animals available for free adoption at Nevins Farm this weekend La Niña has officially started: How does this impact Massachusetts? WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.