Multiple huge fires rip through SoCal, forcing highway closures & mass evacuations

Source: RT::

December 6, 2017 at 12:05

Fires in Southern California continue to ravage the region overnight, shutting down the Interstate 5 highway. Hundreds of firefighters have responded to three massive fires threatening homes, structures and livestock.

The Thomas, Creek, and Rye Fires are wreaking havoc in Southern California, as authorities and firefighters scramble to contain the rapidly moving blazes.

Smoke and Fire in Southern California https://t.co/S12C5Ckekl #NASA #ThomasFire #Ventura pic.twitter.com/yWoXOK3rEP
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) December 5, 2017

THOMAS FIRE

The Thomas Fire, which started at around 6:30pm Monday, is considered a wildfire, and was the first of the three fires to ignite. Located 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County, that fire spread from 500 acres Monday night to 50,000 acres the following morning.

Some 1,000 personnel are now battling the blaze, and 27,000 people have been forced to evacuate the area. Some 150 structures were destroyed, KTLA reported. It prompted California Governor Jerry Brown (D) to declare a state of emergency in Ventura County Tuesday.