CA Fires: The Staggering Toll Of 6 Raging Wildfires

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two more major wildfires broke out across Southern California Thursday as another merciless day of hurricane-force winds and howling infernos forced nearly 200,000 residents to flee for their lives.

As the day closed on six major wildfires, mother nature showed little sign of mercy. The fires claimed two lives, destroyed 500 buildings and forced 190,000 to evacuate. The blaze scorched a combined 141,000 acres. The Santa Ana windstorm is creating fire dangers so extreme that state firefighters issued a purple flag warning, a designation that's never been used before.

Southern California is in a state of emergency. Entire cities remain under evacuation, and residents from San Diego to Ventura are bracing for more of the unprecedented evacuations and road closures that shut down freeways and drove so many from their homes at the start of the holiday season. Thursday has been a dangerous day for thousands of firefighters on the front lines, and tense for fire refugees waiting to see if their homes and even their cities survive the day.

"We're talking winds that can surface that can be 80 miles an hour," said said Ken Pimlott, director at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "These will be winds that there will no ability to fight fires."

None of the fires are anywhere near containment. Dozens of horses have died, and more than a dozen upscale homes in Bel Air were destroyed or damaged.

Remarkably, there have only been two fire-related fatalities reported thus far. A woman's body was reportedly discovered in in the Ojai burn area, and another person died in a fast moving brushfire that broke out in Northern San Diego County Thursday. Officials credit the low death toll to life-saving evacuations and lessons learned from October's catastrophic wildfires that killed more than 40 people. Firefighters, police officers and neighbors have been pounding on doors to rouse sleeping fire victims as embers and ash rain down.

For a brief period Wednesday, the harsh winds died down, giving firefighters a chance to halt the blazes' progress, and some residents returned home to collect belongings. Many came home to heartache.

Patricia Padilla returned to her family's horse ranch near Sylmar after having been ordered to evacuate on a moment's notice.

"All I could think about was the horses, the horses, the horses. And they were like, 'Get out, get out, get out,' " Padilla told the Los Angeles Times . "The structures can get rebuilt, but the lives of the horses can't. ... That's my biggest heartbreak."

When Padilla and her family returned home Wednesday morning, they found 29 of the animals dead. Many of the horses on the ranch were being boarded for other owners. Padilla's family will now have to make dozens of calls to tell clients their horses didn't make it.

"It hurts a lot because these horses are family," Shelby Hope told the newspaper, as she stood near the horse's bodies. "They're not just horses — they're horses that we know, that we've become close to."

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Amtrak announced the suspension of train service between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara County Thursday as a result of the wildfire, which spread into Southern California's wine country Thursday afternoon.

Six wildfires continue to rage across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties:

Thomas Fire

A thick, dark blanket of smoke looms over Ventura County, raining ash and embers down on residents and firefighters as the Thomas Fire continues to wreak havoc on the county. The fire grew to 96,000 acres burned with 5 percent containment Thursday morning. Two lanes are currently closed on the southbound U.S. Route 101 at Padre Juan Canyon, but the fast lane and northbound lanes are open; California Highway Patrol suggests avoiding the area. State Route 1 is currently closed due to same fire in both directions, CHP reported.

A new round mandatory evacuations were ordered by the Ventura County Fire Department Thursday night: Highway 192 on the south, Highway 150 on the east (county line), Santa Monica Road to the west and extending north to East Camino Cielo, Highway 150 from Rincon Hill Road South to the 101, which includes Bates Road and Rincon Point at the south end of Bates.

Smoke continues to pollute the area creating an apocalyptic scene, the sky drenched in a muck-grey fog so dense it's hard to see down the street.

"We're running on adrenaline," one Ventura resident said while hosing down a dry tree outside her home.

"We all have friends who's houses have been burning down, it's a lot to handle," another bystander told Fox11 near Faria Beach.

A woman's body was found in a burn area near Ojai earlier Thursday as firefighters continued to battle the massive wildfires in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, authorities told Los Angeles Times. Ventura County air quality remains at hazardous levels in Ojai.

The Santa Ana winds are in full force, pushing the uncontrollable wildfire closer to new neighborhoods, and prompting new evacuations. The status of the fire heavily relies on the winds, which authorities anticipate to be extremely strong today and continuing through Saturday; the gusts have the potential to reach speeds of 80 miles per hour, according to Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott. On top of that, the area is experiencing a dry climate and extremely low humidity.

"When we have opportunities, when the winds have died down, we do direct firefighting on the fire line and try to get some containment," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said.

Pimlott warns that conditions today "are going to be extreme."

For more on the Thomas Fire: Ventura County Wildfire: Sections Of 101 Closed, New Evacuations

Skirball Fire

Though one of the smallest of Southern California's wildfires at 475 acres, the Skirball fire managed to wreak havoc on Los Angeles, shutting down the San Diego (405) Freeway for hours and destroying four homes in the upscale Bel Air neighborhood. Thursday's goal has been to take a stand halting the fire's eastward progression into the heart of the city.

Intense Santa Ana winds picked up over night, and evacuations remained in place, but fire officials reported no new losses Thursday morning. Thousands were forced to flee to safety as 700 homes and one apartment building and a school were evacuated. All evacuations remained in place Thursday afternoon. The fiercest Santa Ana winds of the last decade died down for much of Wednesday, giving firefighters a chance to mount a defense against the 475-acre blaze, but intense gusts returned Thursday and are expected to last the rest of the week.

The Skirball Fire was reported at 4:52 a.m. Wednesday on the east side of the freeway near Mulholland Drive.

For more on the Skirball Fire: Skirball Fire Rages As Crews Try To Limit Destruction

Creek Fire

More than 120,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as the wind-whipped Creek Fire scorches 15,000 acres, destroying or damaging at least 30 homes and killing pets and livestock. The fire has triggered one of the largest evacuations Los Angeles has seen in years.

The blaze, which broke out at 3:42 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Gold Creek and Little Tujunga roads in the Kagel Canyon area, was estimated at 12,605 acres early Thursday morning. More than 1,600 firefighters and other personnel were deployed against the fire, which was 15 percent contained. Three firefighters were injured Tuesday, and were hospitalized in stable condition.

About 20 of the homes destroyed were in the Little Tujunga, Kagel Canyon and Lopez Canyon areas. The other 10 homes were within Los Angeles city limits, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

For more on the Creek Fire: 100,000 Forced To Flee Creek Fire; 30 Homes Destroyed

Rye Fire

The three-day-old Rye Fire in Santa Clara offers the one glimmer of hope on the wildfire front Thursday. All evacuations and road closures were lifted, allowing thousands of evacuees to return home.

The Rye Fire scorched 7,000 acres and threatened 5,460 others. It was 25 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon, however intense winds pose a major threat as hots spots continue to smolder. The blaze caused burn injuries to a firefighter who had to be airlifted to a hospital Thursday evening.

The fire destroyed one structure. All evacuations and road closures issued as a result of the fire have been lifted, and the College of the Canyons evacuation site has been deactivated, officials said.

For more on the Rye Fire: All Rye Fire Evacuations And Closures Lifted

Shot of #RyeFire in Santa Clarita by John Aitchinson of Marin's Strike Team 915OC. #MarinCounty pic.twitter.com/fW7XFH8Mv1
— Marin County Fire (@marincountyfire) December 6, 2017

Lilac Fire

A wildfire broke out in Northern San Diego County Thursday morning, scorching 3,600 by the afternoon, injuring several people, closing roads and triggering evacuations.

Blazing in dense brush and windy conditions, firefighters have an uphill battle getting a handle on the fast-moving fire. Gov. Brown declared a state of emergency as the fire threatened thousands of structures.

The blaze broke out around 11:30 a.m. at Old Highway 395 and Dulin Road in Bonsall, according to Cal Fire. Since then, 20 structures have been destroyed, while an unknown amount of others were damaged. As of Thursday evening, 5,000 structures remained under threat.

For more on the Lilac Fire: Lilac Fire Burns Out Of Control In San Diego County

Horizon Fire

A brush fire broke out at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Malibu in the 5300 block of Horizon Drive. Crews are were contending with smoke and fire in heavy brush, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Residents in Malibu, hemmed in by the coast and steep terrain, remained on edge ready to evacuate in case the blaze spread, but firefighters were able to control it before it could cause major damage.

For more on the Horizon Fire: Brush Fire Breaks Out On Horizon Drive In Malibu

Murrieta Fire

Residents in suburban Riverside County are warily watching as brushfire ballooned to 220-acres in a little more than an hour. The Murrieta Fire is burning near several homes and has already destroyed one structure. Local schools sent students home early as a result.

The fire broke out at about 1:15 p.m. at Los Alamos Road, near Liberty, according to Cal Fire reports. By 2:20 p.m. the wind-whipped fire had eaten up 100 acres.

Jurupa Fire

A small brush fire broke out in Riverside County Thursday morning, forcing the closure of the close I-15 northbound Freeway, backing up rush hour traffic for miles. The threatened multiple businesses before crews doused it.

The fire was first reported at 7:16 a.m. in the area of the 60 and 15 freeways, according to Cal Fire and CHP logs.

According to preliminary information from the California Highway Patrol, the fire has prompted officials to close I-15 northbound at Cantu-Galleano Ranch Road.

"The fire is threatening businesses along I15 south of Highway 60," the Riverside County Fire Department said.

For more on the Jurupa Fire: Businesses Threatened By Fire At I-15, SR-60 Freeways

Woodchopper Fire

A 5-acre brush fire broke out in Santa Barbara wine country Thursday afternoon near Los Olivos.

A large plume of smoke was seen billowing over the region as crews attacked the blaze aggressively to stop it from spreading as wind gusts reached 30 miles per hour. The blaze broke out around 12 p.m. near Highway 101. Parts of the 101 Freeway shut down Thursday while crews battled the blaze.

For More on the Woodchopper Fire: Woodchopper Fire Scorches 5 Acres Near Los Olivos In Wine Country

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• Night Fire In Orange County: Flames Destroy Business Complex
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• Strong Santa Ana Winds Prompt 'Extreme' Fire Warning In San Diego

City News Service, Associated Press and Patch Staffers Paige Austin, Renee Schiavone, Emily Holland and Kristina Houck contributed to this report.

Photos: DECEMBER 07: Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway on December 7, 2017 north of Ventura, California. Strong Santa Ana winds are rapidly pushing multiple wildfires across the region, expanding across tens of thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes and structures. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Interstate 405 is deserted after being closed during rush hour in an area near the Skirball Fire on December 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Strong Santa Ana winds are rapidly pushing multiple wildfires across the region, expanding across tens of thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes and structures. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A resident holds a leaking hose on his burning property during the Creek Fire on December 5, 2017 in Sunland, California. Strong Santa Ana winds are rapidly pushing multiple wildfires across the region, expanding across tens of thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes and structures. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)