Gusty Santa Ana winds and bone-dry conditions continued to stoke major wildfires in Southern California on Thursday as Ventura County fire officials said the battle there could last well over a week. “Until the wind stops blowing, there’s really not a lot we can do as far as controlling the perimeter,” Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said as crews battled the 96,000-acre Thomas fire. “We are mounting an aggressive arial assault,” Ventura County Fire Cap Robert Welsbie said as he observed the flames from Ojai. Though it is not rare for Santa Ana winds to blow this time of year, weather experts say it’s unusual for them to be combined with such dry conditions. The cause of death and the woman’s identity have not been determined, Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 07, 2017 16:31 UTC