Firefighters have never seen a wildfire like this one
by Melissa Etehad, Alene Tchekmedyian and Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times
Dec 19, 2017
3 minutes
OJAI, Calif. - Over the last three weeks, the Thomas fire has burned its way through the history books with a menacing pattern.
Powerful Santa Ana winds push flames through hillsides, mountains and canyons at a rapid pace firefighters can do little to control. Then the winds die down, giving crews a chance to regroup and mount aggressive defensive actions before the Santa Anas return.
Firefighters are used to battling the wind, but not this much of it. Southern California set a record this month for the longest sustained period of fire weather
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