California wildfires have destroyed 1,000 structures ... and counting
By Holly Yan, Darran Simon and Paul Vercammen
The fires
The six blazes vary in size. Together, they are larger than the areas of New York City and Boston combined, or bigger than the area of Singapore.
Thomas Fire: This inferno has destroyed nearly 232,000 acres as of Monday evening and was only about 20% contained Monday afternoon. It started December 4 in Ventura County and has since spread into neighboring Santa Barbara County. The Thomas fire has already destroyed more than 790 structures, according to Cal Fire. The costs of fighting the blaze have topped $34 million.
Creek Fire: The second-largest blaze ignited Tuesday in neighboring Los Angeles County. It has burned 15,619 acres and was 95% contained late Sunday.
Rye Fire: This fire broke out Tuesday in Los Angeles County and has torched 6,049 acres. Firefighters are making progress, with 93% of the blaze contained Monday morning.
Lilac Fire: This fast-moving fire has consumed 4,100 acres since it ignited Thursday in San Diego County. Firefighters have regained control of the blaze, and it was 80% contained Monday morning.
Skirball Fire: It started Wednesday as a brush fire in Los Angeles County, north of Brentwood. The Skirball Fire has destroyed 422 acres and was 85% contained Monday morning.
Liberty Fire: This blaze in Riverside County has burned 300 acres since it ignited Thursday. It's 100% contained, but authorities are monitoring the fire because of a forecasted increase in winds.
Celebrities thank firefighters
Several celebrities with homes in the endangered region thanked firefighters for their brave efforts.
Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, who both have houses in Montecito, an affluent Santa Barbara suburb, tweeted that they were praying for their communities.
"Our house is under threat of being burned. We just had to evacuate our pets. I'm praying for everyone in our community and thankful to all the incredible firefighters," DeGeneres said. She later tweeted that she was proud to be part of a community where people were helping each other to safety.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/us/california-wildfires/index.html