More Evacuations Ordered As Thomas Fire Spreads In CA 

(Santa Barbara County, CA)  —  The Thomas Fire burning in Southern California is now 173-thousand acres, or about 270 square miles.

That’s an increase of nearly 20-thousand acres from the previous night. The Ventura County Fire Department says the Thomas Fire is now 15-percent contained as firefighters head into the seventh day of not only fighting dangerous flames, but extremely powerful winds and dry conditions.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said it quickly alerted residents and those in the new evacuation areas. The winds are picking up again today and could reach 55 miles-an-hour after calming down a bit the day before.

The National Weather Service says a red flag warning is out until 8 p.m.  A total of 710 buildings have been destroyed by flames, and Ventura County fire officials say another 15-thousand structures are threatened.