Firefighters had a successful day battling flames on the southern edge of the Thomas fire, working toward the coast as well as parts of Ojai thanks to favorable wind patterns, according to a spokesman for Cal Fire. By Saturday morning, the Thomas fire had burned 143,000 acres and was 15% contained. Firefighters continued to encounter difficulty on the east side of the fire above Fillmore but made progress on Highway 33 and the 101 Freeway on the west side of the blaze.
In Los Angeles County, firefighters were making progress on blazes in Sylmar, Santa Clarita and Bel-Air. The Creek Fire was now 80% contained and the Rye Fire was 65% contained. In northern San Diego County, the Lilac fire had 4,100 acres burned and 105 structures destroyed along the Highway 76 corridor that stretches west from the 15 Freeway through Bonsall and Fallbrook. Several people were hurt in the fires. “Thomas Fire started Monday about 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The “Skirball Fire” erupted Wednesday, burning at least 500 acres so far and threatening many of the multimillion-dollar homes in Los Angeles’ Bel-Air neighborhood. About 99 percent of wildfires in Southern California are caused by humans. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of California’s wildfires. I encourage everyone to heed the advice and orders of local and state officials. THANK YOU to all First Responders for your incredible work!” President Trump tweeted about the wildfires.
