California's Thomas Fire 45 Percent Contained
The fire was again jolted by high winds, prompting a slew of voluntary evacuation orders in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Firefighters battling the massive Thomas Fire northwest of Los Angeles were working against another round of high winds to prevent its spread to homes in Santa Barbara and Montecito.
The blaze â which has gone on for two weeks and engulfed some 269,000 acres â has become
