A bulldozer from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department clears a fire break across a canyon from atop Camino Cielo down to Gibraltar to make a stand should the fire move in that direction, on Wednesday, in the Santa Ynez Mountains area of Santa Barbara, California. (AP photo)LOS ANGELES: California firefighting crews may face on Thursday another round of fierce gusts that have fed a volatile wildfire, one of the largest in the state's history, as they protect homes from flames and build control lines. (Video YouTube/TRT World)The Thomas Fire has travelled 43 km, blackening more than 953 square km in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, an area larger than New York City. Many public schools in the Santa Barbara area cancelled classes this week and will not reopen until the annual winter break is completed in January. Some of the other fires burning over the past week in San Diego and Los Angeles counties have been largely brought under control.

Source: Bangkok Post December 14, 2017 11:15 UTC