In this Thursday, Dec 14, 2017, photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, flames from a back firing operation underway rise behind a home off Ladera Lane near Bella Vista Drive in Santa Barbara, California. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)SANTA BARBARA, California: The massive wildfire that California has been battling since early December has now ballooned into the third-largest in the state's history, burning a record amount of acreage, officials said Saturday. The National Weather Service says those conditions would last at least through Saturday evening, with winds gusting to 40 mph in the Santa Barbara County mountains where the fire is burning. The Thomas Fire surging through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties has already burned more than 1,000 buildings, including well over 750 homes. Some 315 fire engines are stationed in and around homes in Montecito and Santa Barbara, along with "hand crews'' armed with equipment like chain saws and drop torches.

Source: Bangkok Post December 16, 2017 17:26 UTC