Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades has grown to nearly 20,000 acres on Thursday.

Forecasters are warning of a “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm expected to last several days and affect a massive swath of Southern California beginning early Tuesday. The offshore winds will be dry,

Parts of Santa Monica were ordered to be evacuated as fast-moving flames destroyed homes along the coast in Los Angeles. Winds were picking up overnight, potentially fueling the fires.

High pressure is building from the north and that will help to tighten the pressure gradient over southern California, producing more gusty winds.

Firefighters battled to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area early Thursday that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.