Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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California Wildfire One Of The Worst in State's History

by VOA News

   Fire officials in the western U.S. state of California are focusing
   efforts on battling a wildfire northwest of Los Angeles that is already
   one of the largest and most destructive in the state's history.

   The Thomas Fire has burned 930 square kilometers and destroyed 800
   buildings in Santa Barbara County since it started a week ago.
   Authorities say the blaze is only 10 percent contained, and while
   firefighters have had some success attacking it from the air, it
   remains a dangerous fire that can be spread quickly by strong winds.

   Cal Fire official Tim Chavez said at a briefing late Monday the area
   160 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles is a "very difficult place to
   fight fire." He said the last time the same area burned in a wildfire
   was 1964, so the fuel there is more than 50 years old.

   More than 5,700 personnel are involved in fighting the Thomas Fire, one
   of several burning in southern California.

   But crews have made significant progress in bringing the other fires,
   which are much smaller, under control.

   The fires have forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate their homes.
   The number grew Sunday with more evacuations in Santa Barbara as the
   biggest fire in the region spread west. Authorities have been handing
   out face masks to help protect people from smoke inhalation, and a
   number of schools have been closed.

   President Donald Trump responded to the fires Friday by issuing a
   federal declaration of a state of emergency for California, paving the
   way for federal agencies to help coordinate relief efforts.

   Fires are not uncommon in Southern California this time of year, before
   the winter rains set in, when the vegetation is tinder dry and winds
   blast the region. This year, however, has been particularly bad for
   California fires because of dry, hot and windy conditions that would be
   extreme for any season, including the winter season that is just two
   weeks away.

   Just weeks ago, wildfires that broke out in Northern California killed
   44 people and destroyed 8,900 homes and other buildings.'