Firefighters are nearing victory in the battles against three major wildfires near Los Angeles that have burned more than 117,000 acres, destroyed nearly 200 structures and injured 23 people, officials said.

"That one-two punch, that sequence, means you grow all this extra potential fuel for fires and then you dry it out to extreme levels," said Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist whose research suggests California's rising temperatures create wetter winters.

The largest wildfire is called the Bridge Fire and has swept through the San Gabriel Mountains which is northeast of central Los Angeles.