California wildfires mostly contained — but Thomas still menaces Santa Barbara
Carpinteria — Crews battling wildfires ravaging southern California for a week have managed to slow the spread of the worst of the blazes, officials said on Tuesday, as residents were taking stock of the catastrophic damage. But the biggest fire, called Thomas, which has charred nearly 95,000ha of land, remains only 20% contained, according to official data, as firefighters warned of an ongoing threat. Evacuation orders were in place for threatened areas in the Santa Barbara region about 160km northwest of Los Angeles. In the past day or so, the blaze figure has grown by about 1,000ha. Nearly 6,400 firefighters have been toiling for a week against blazes fuelled by bone dry conditions and powerful winds. Winds will blow at up to 65km/h, forecasters said, as public health authorities urged people to wear face masks to protect against ash and smoke. Retired pilot Don Thompson, who has an avocado farm in the coastal resort of Carpinteria, near Santa Barbara, described the loss of his r...
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