California Governor Jerry Brown will survey the destruction of the state's devastating wildfires on Saturday, December 9, as firefighters rushed to contain the blazes before dry desert winds were expected to intensify.

The six major wildfires that erupted throughout Southern California in the past week have killed at least one person, destroyed hundreds of buildings, forced more than 200,000 people to flee and choked the air across much of the region.

Forecasters predict wind gusts to become more intense by Saturday night, challenging the 8,700 firefighters who have been battling the fast-moving blazes for five days.