The “fast-moving” Thomas Fire continues to rage “out of control,” Ventura County officials report, pushed east by strong winds billowing up to 25 miles per hour.
As of 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, estimates of size, containment, and number of structures threatened and destroyed were the same as they were earlier in the day ― 45,500 acres burned, zero percent containment, 3,000 structures threatened, and 150 buildings destroyed. Those figure are expected to change in the coming hours, however, as emergency responders update their assessments. More than 7,700 homes have been evacuated
Overnight, the fire "experienced exponential growth," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said at a news conference Tuesday morning. Winds have been "extremely high, with low humidity, and fuel conditions are about as bad as they can be."