CA Firestorm: 1 Dead, 793 Buildings Burn, 175,000 Acres Scorched

After five days filled of fire tragedies in Southern California, more than 8,500 firefighters enter the weekend battling a half dozen major incidents. Together, these six fires have burned through more than 175,000 acres and 793 structures, according to Cal Fire. So far, one person has died as a result of the Thomas Fire in Ventura County.

Firefighters were on high alert for dangerous fire potential even before the first blazes broke out. But once flames met ferocious winds, fire crews were mostly powerless to stop infernos.

"The crews were trying to stay out ahead of this as quickly as they could," Capt. Kendal Bortisser of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention told The Associated Press. "As we know, when a tornado hits the Midwest, there's no stopping it. When a hurricane hits the East Coast, there's no stopping it. When Santa Ana winds come in, there's no stopping them."

Crews are again expecting warm temperatures and winds this weekend.

"Above normal temperatures will accompany the winds and low humidity this weekend," the state's lead firefighting agency said in its Saturday fire summary report. "Another round of stronger, offshore winds is expected tonight into Sunday with east-northeast winds of 20-35 mph with gusts approaching 60 mph. Northern California remains dry, with above average daytime temperatures and cold nights."

Firefighters gained ground on all the fires and most evacuees were allowed to return home. President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration allowing counties affected by the wildfires to receive federal assistance.

Yet danger persisted. Vegetation is bone dry, there's been hardly any rainfall and winds were expected to gust up to 50 mph (80 kph) over the weekend in the Los Angeles and Ventura areas, the National Weather Service said.

Meanwhile, after the devastating Lilac Fire raced through the San Luis Rey Training Center in Bonsall killing at least two dozen horses, Cal Fire reminded residents across the state of the importance of advance planning.

"You’ve taken steps to keep your family and home fire safe," the agency said. "Don’t forget your pets and livestock. With some advance planning, you can increase their chances of surviving a wildland fire. For more information, click here."

Courtesy of Cal Fire, here are the main fires of interest that crews are fighting as of Saturday, Dec. 9:

Lilac Fire, San Diego County (more info…)

Bonsall

• 4,100 acres, 20% contained

• Evacuations and road closures in effect

• CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1 (Gouvea) assigned

Thomas Fire, Ventura County (more info…)

Santa Paula

• 148,000 acres, 15% contained

• Evacuations and road closures in effect

• 15,000 homes threatened, over 88,000 residents evacuated

• CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 4 (Derum) assigned

Creek Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)

Kagel Canyon

• 15,619 acres, 80% contained

• CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 5 (Bravo) assigned

Rye Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)

Santa Clarita

• 6,049 acres, 65% contained

• CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 (Estes) assigned

Liberty Fire, Riverside County (more info…)

Murrieta

• 300 acres, 90% contained

Skirball Fire, Los Angeles County (more info…)

North of Brentwood

• 475 acres, 50% contained

--

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

IMAGE: A Park Service worker takes a picture as the Thomas fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest on December 8, 2017 near Ojai, California. The Thomas fire has burned over 132,000 acres and has destroyed 439 structures. The fire is 10 percent contained. CREDIT: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News / Getty Images