‘It is out of control’: Southern California is consumed by ferocious wildfire which has scorched 45,000 acres and 150 buildings in a matter of HOURS – forcing 27,000 residents to flee, as forecasters warn dangerously dry winds are about to make it worse
A wildfire encompassing 45,000-acres and burning 150 structures swept into Ventura early Tuesday
More than 260,000 residents are without power and 27,000 have been forced to evacuate their homes
Officials say they expect the so-called Thomas Fire to burn at least 50,000 acres before it gets under control
About 500 firefighters are battling the blaze with fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters prepared to launch
A motorist was originally reported to be killed but on Tuesday, authorities said no fatalities were confirmed
Fire officials said the intensity of the fire and the high winds made the blaze pretty much unstoppable
By MARY KEKATOS
DAILYMAIL.COM
5 December 2017
A 45,000-acre-wildfire is still raging near Los Angeles – with 27,000 residents evacuated and hundreds of homes expected to be consumed before the blaze is brought under control.
The inferno, known as the Thomas Fire, burned dry brush after erupting in Ventura County, 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles, on Monday.
In the first 10 hours, the fire grew from 50 acres to 31,000 acres at a burn rate of approximately one acre per second.
More than 260,000 residents have been without power and 150 structures have so far been destroyed during the blaze, which is at zero percent containment.
As the fire continued to spread into the city limits of Ventura, the Ventura County Fire Department issued a grim warning Tuesday morning, saying conditions were expected to worsen due to dry winds in the area.
‘Incident commander reporting winds are increasing, expect fire behavior to increase over the entire incident,’ the department tweeted.
Before dawn on Tuesday, officials issued an update that the fire was ‘out of control’.
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