‘ARMAGEDDON’: Thousands Evacuate as Wildfires Scorch Southern California – [PHOTOS / VIDEO]

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A man prepares to evacuate his home as a wildfire burns along a hillside near homes in Santa Paula, California, on December 5, 2017. Fast-moving, wind-fueled brush fire exploded to about 10,000 acres in Ventura County Monday night, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes, officials said. / AFP PHOTO / RINGO CHIURINGO CHIU/AFP/Getty Image

LOS ANGELES — Several wildfires continued to rage in Southern California Wednesday.

The largest of the blazes—the fast-moving Thomas fire in Ventura County—had charred more than 65,000 acres (24,000 hectares or 94 square miles), according to Cal Fire.

The fire began north of Santa Paula, near Steckel Park and Thomas Aquinas College, on December 4. On Tuesday, Governor Jerry Brown declared a State of Emergency in Ventura County, due to the Thomas Fire. “This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but we’ll continue to attack it with all we’ve got,” Brown said. “It’s critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so.

The fires mainly affected a forested, hilly area to the north of Ventura, but flames have encroached into the northern edge of the city. On December 6, Cal Fire estimated that 12,000 structures were threatened by fire.

Powerful Santa Ana winds intensified the fires. Forecasters with the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service warned that the region is in the midst of its strongest and longest Santa Ana wind event of the year. They issued red flag warnings for Los Angles and Ventura counties through December 8, noting that isolated wind gusts of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour are possible.

Officials say no human fatalities were confirmed—but say that one dog has died.

Thick smoke streamed from several fires in southern California when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image in the afternoon on December 5, 2017.

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An apartment complex burns as a wildfire rages in Ventura, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
In this photo provided by the Ventura County Fire Department, firefighters work to put out a blaze burning homes early Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Ventura, Calif. Authorities said the blaze broke out Monday and grew wildly in the hours that followed, consuming vegetation that hasn’t burned in decades. (Ryan Cullom/Ventura County Fire Department via AP)

 

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