The return of powerful winds Thursday pushed the destructive Ventura County fire closer to several communities, prompting new evacuations.

Communities both on the coast and inland were under threat. At 4 a.m., officials closed the 101 Freeway between Routes 126 and 150. According to the California Highway Patrol, that left no open routes between Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The freeway was reopened around 7 a.m.

A woman’s body was found in a burn area near Ojai.

The Thomas fire has scorched about 96,000 acres and carved a path of destruction that stretches more than 10 miles from Santa Paula to the Pacific Ocean.


As flames raged toward neighborhoods in Ojai, Carpinteria and Fillmore, officials issued new evacuation orders in Ojai Valley, notifying residents with an emergency cellphone alert. Authorities said they were helping residents of five assisted-living facilities evacuate, while people at Ojai Hospital were advised to shelter in place.

“It’s definitely moving,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Garo Kuredjian said of the fire. “Forecasters were correct in terms of the wind forecast for tonight — it’s much windier than it was yesterday.”

The fire is burning on the north and east side of Highway 150 and on the west side of Highway 33. Another section of the fire was burning along the coast into Santa Barbara County.

“It’s a weird wind pattern,” Kuredjian said.


At daybreak Thursday, Ojai officials said it was “a miracle” that fierce Santa Ana winds had subsided on Thursday, as firefighters battled wildfires that have encircled the mountain community and continued to burn largely untamed on surrounding ridgelines.

“The fire burned hard overnight on slopes about four miles north of town,” Rudy Livingston, Ojai’s finance director, said. “But fire crews with bulldozers and fire engines worked were able to reduce fuel, calm the flames and keep them from coming downhill into town.”

Authorities had already expanded mandatory evacuation orders hours earlier in east Ojai after flames rolled down slopes about four miles north of downtown. Residents crowded street corners and gas stations downtown to watch the flames, wondering if they were going to be forced to leave.

“It looks pretty bad up there, but as of right now we have not lost any structures in the city of Ojai,” said Rudy Livingston, the city’s finance director. He said that officials have four 15-passenger vans and three vintage trolleys available to help evacuate residents.


About half an hour after that, residents in Carpinteria east of Bailard Avenue — along the west flank of the fire — were advised to evacuate in an emergency cellphone alert.

The intense and surreal fire activity up on along the 33, north of Ojai. Winds gusting, roads covered with rocks, embers flying around. #thomasfire https://t.co/8D7oA15GwQ pic.twitter.com/gF4NEysHsV — Marcus Yam 火 (@yamphoto) December 7, 2017

(@latimesgraphics )

The Thomas fire was 5% contained, mostly along the southeast flank in the Santa Paula area. Forecasters say strong Santa Ana winds, coupled with low humidity, could offer “a recipe for explosive fire growth.”


“We stand a good chance of a challenging night and day tomorrow,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Tim Chavez said Wednesday, adding that there’s potential for fire growth on the northwest side and a high probability of spot fires. “It’s going to be a difficult night and day.”

The focus Wednesday, officials said, was keeping the fire out of the Ojai Valley while assessing the devastation in the cities of Ventura and Santa Paula.

The hot Santa Ana winds that drove the fire at remarkable speed on Tuesday had lessened greatly Wednesday. However, they were predicted to increase again on Thursday.

“We are in the beginning of a protracted wind event,” said state fire chief Ken Pimlott.


“There will be no ability to fight fire in these kinds of winds,” Pimlott said. “At the end of the day, we need everyone in the public to listen and pay attention. This is not ‘watch the news and go about your day.’ This is pay attention minute-by-minute … keep your head on a swivel.”

Among those residents who took Pimlott’s words to heart were Kristy Cantrall, who left a garden hose poised on the roof of her Santa Paula townhome, just in case.

Only a day earlier, the Thomas fire was a half-mile away from her cul-de-sac neighborhood on Vela Court, prompting neighbors to climb up to their roofs and spray their homes with water.

Helicopters hovered overhead, dropping buckets of fire retardant on eucalyptus trees that had caught fire just north of the neighborhood.


Cantrall’s son Colin drove from Simi Valley to water down his mother’s home Tuesday night. “Once we saw copters come down, we knew we had to water,” he said.

He planned to do the same Wednesday if the fire flared up. Meanwhile, they just kept an eye on the news.

× The Salvation Army and Red Cross are among the organizations providing relief to victims of the Southern California wildfires. (Dec. 7, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

State fire officials say about 12,000 homes remain threatened by flames, while 50,000 people have been forced to flee. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency, as approximately 1,100 personnel continued to battle the blaze. At least one firefighter has been injured.


Fire officials said that the area they’ve dubbed “branch one,” which includes Ojai, the bucolic mountain town known as a haven for spiritual seekers, health enthusiasts and celebrities, is one of their priorities. Firefighters are putting together a plan to protect Ojai and have expressed concern that winds could push the flames toward the city.

“The fire is here and wrapped around the community,” said Shane Lauderdale, a Cal Fire branch director, as he huddled with other officials in a downtown parking lot.

With a map of the Ojai Valley spread over the hood of a crew vehicle and ashes falling around him, Lauderdale said that more equipment and firefighters are being rushed to areas south and east of the town.

“We’re taking advantage of the current calm to concentrate resources along a defensive line,” he said.


Firefighters are moving heavy equipment to meet the blaze on the edge of town, while hand crews are cutting fire breaks.

“We’re going to get a lot more work done today,” Lauderdale said.

The fire threat is considered dire until Friday, when punishing Santa Ana winds are predicted to abate. However, Ojai city manager Steve McClary said, “Until we have fog drifting in from the west and light rain, we won’t feel like this thing is behind us.”

Officials said the southeast area of the Thomas fire was one of their highest priorities because of the “tremendous volume of fire” in that area.


1 / 75 John Bain and Brandon Baker try to stop a fire from burning a stranger’s home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 75 A brush fire moving with the wind sends embers all over residential neighborhoods north of Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 75 A family packs up and evacuates as a brush fire gets closer to their home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 75 John Bain and his friends, all from Camarillo, came to help as brush fires move quickly through residential neighborhoods in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 75 Strangers band together to help put out a palm tree on fire and stop it from burning homes. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 75 The Hawaiian Gardens apartments burn in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 7 / 75 Residents help with the fire attack on Buena Vista Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 8 / 75 Residents watch the Thomas fire on Prospect Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 9 / 75 Firefighters are deployed to battle the fire in a Ventura neighborhood. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 75 A chimney is all that stands of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 75 Remnants of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 75 A home burns on a hillside overlooking Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 75 Palms are consumed in the Thomas fire. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 14 / 75 Emma Jacobson, 19, center, gets a hug from a neighbor after her family home was destroyed by fire in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 75 Olivia Jacobson, 16, wipes tears as she looks at her family’s home, destroyed by the brush fire on Island View Drive in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 75 Aerial view of the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 75 Noah Alarcon carries a cage with the family cat while evacuating from Casitas Springs. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 18 / 75 Smoke from the Thomas fire crosses over Lake Casitas near Ojai. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 19 / 75 A Ventura County firefighter battles a blaze on Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 75 Ventura County Firefighter Aaron Cohen catches his breath after fighting to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 75 Aerial view of homes burned to the ground in the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) 22 / 75 A home between Via Baja and Foothill Road burns in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 75 Amanda Leon and husband Johnny Leon watch as firefighters fight to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 75 Chino Valley firefighters fight to save a home along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 75 Embers continue to burn at sunset Tuesday in a home on Ridgecrest Court at Scenic Way in the Clearpoint neighborhood of Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles TImes) 26 / 75 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 75 Firefighters try to protect homes from the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 75 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 75 Edward Aguilar runs through the flames of the Thomas Fire to save his cats at his mobile home along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs in Ventura County. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 75 Jeff Lipscomb, left, Gabriel Lipscomb, 17, center, and Rachel Lipscomb, 11, look for items to recover from their burned home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 75 A traffic collision temporarily clogged lanes on the northbound 101 Freeway between Solimar and Faria Beaches as the Thomas fire burned in the hills. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 75 The Thomas fire burns towards the 101 Freeway and homes between Solimar and Faria Beaches. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 75 Fire personnel keep an eye on the Thomas fire on Toland Road near Santa Paula. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 34 / 75 A train on the Rincon coast passes a burning hillside from the Thomas fire. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 35 / 75 The Thomas fire burns along the 101 Freeway north of Ventura on Wednesday evening. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 75 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire in the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 75 A resident cries as the Thomas fire approaches the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 75 Burned palm trees are left standing between the 101 Freeway and Faria Beach as the Thomas fire reaches the Pacific Ocean. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 75 Firefighters battle Thursday to protect the resort city of Ojai from encroaching flames. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 75 Casey Rodriquez helps a friend move belongings after the Thomas Fire destroyed most of an apartment building on North Kalarama in Ventura. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 75 A burnt-out bus near Maripoca Highway. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 75 The Thomas fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 75 A huge plume of smoke rises north of Ventura as seen Sunday afternoon from the Ventura pier, as the Thomas fire threatens parts of Carpenteria and Montecito. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 75 The Thomas Fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai, Calif. on Friday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 75 Residents react as they watch the Thomas Fire burn in the hills above La Conchita at 5 am Thursday moning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 75 Mary McEwen and husband Dan Bellaart prepare to evacuate their home on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito as the Thomas fire burns. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 75 Carpenteria resident Chris Gayner, right, photographs a plane in the hills of Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 75 From left, residents Michael Desjardins, his neighbor Patty Rodriguez, daughter Mikayla, wife Veronica, mother in law Amanda Buzin, and son Mikey keep an eye on the Thomas fire in Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 75 Mary McEwen cheers as she sees fire crews make their way up a hill past her home on Toro Canyon Rd. in Montecito. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 75 Dan Bellaart and wife Mary McEwen comfort each other in the backyard of their home that includes an avocado ranch on 9 acres of land on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito, as the Thomas fire burns in the background. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 75 Carpinteria resident Jay Molnar, 55, mouth and nose protected against the smoke, views flames glowing in the hills above the city on Dec. 11, 2017. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 75 Sacramento firefighters battle a blaze in Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 75 Josh Acosta, superintendent with Fulton Hotshots looks for ways to fight fire consuming a structure threatening two homes high up Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 75 A motorcade passes on tHighway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, who died Thursday morning while battling the Thomas Fire. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 75 Santa Paula City officials, Police and Firefighters salute from a bridge as a motorcade passes on the Santa Paula Freeway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 75 Flames from a back fire behind a home off Ladera Lane near Bella Vista Drive during continuing efforts to fight the Thomas Fire on East Camino Cielo above Montecito, Calif. on Thursday. (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire) 57 / 75 An Erickson MD-87, right, making a Phos-chek drop while following the lead plane during continuing efforts to fight the Thomas Fire on East Camino Cielo above Montecito, California on Thursday. (Mike Eliason / Santa Barbara County Fire) 58 / 75 Forest Service crews cut and clear dense brush for contingency lines off of East Camino Cielo in the Santa Ynez Mountains above Montecito and Santa Barbara to help stop the Thomas fire from advancing. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 75 A hotshot crew from Ojai marches towards their assignment to protect structures on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 75 Firefighters monitor the flames Saturday from a staging area near Parma Park in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 75 Flames slowly make their way down a valley behind a home in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 75 Flames whip around power lines as they move through Sycamore Canyon on Saturday, threatening structures in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 75 Smoke billows over Santa Barbara as the Thomas Fire continues to threaten the area on Saturday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 75 Bill Shubin, deputy fire chief of the Santa Rosa Fire Department checks on flames burning near homes north of East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 75 A fire truck pulls responds to fires burning near homes on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 66 / 75 Brian Good, from US Forest Service, leans forward against the wind, and holds up a Kestrel to measure wind speeds up to 50 mph on Gibraltar Road in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 75 A plume of smoke moves south as winds as high as 50 mph blow down Gibraltar Road on the west fork of Cold Spring Trail in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 75 Flames and a big plume of smoke threaten homes on Gibraltar Road near Gibraltar Rock, outside Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 75 The sun rises as fire crews prepare for another day of fighting the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 75 An aircraft makes a water drop over a hot spot up in the mountain range at Gibraltar Rock near Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 75 Humboldt County firefighters Bobby Gray, left, hoses down smoldering flames inside a destroyed home, as Kellee Stoehr, right looks on, after the Thomas Fire burned in Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 75 A home on Park Hill Lane was destroyed by the Thomas fire in Montecito, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 73 / 75 Humboldt County firefighters Lonnie Risling, left, and Jimmy McHaffie, right, spray down smoldering fire underneath the rubble of a home that was destroyed by the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 74 / 75 Fire crews help the Behrman family retrieve their family’s personal belongings out of their burned home, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 75 / 75 In the foreground of the ridges that were burned by the Thomas Fire, Rusty Smith stands outside his home that survived the flames that were kicked up by Saturday’s wind event and threatened his home in Flores Flats on Gibraltar Road, near Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

They reiterated a message spread this morning — to put out even small bushes on fire along roads and extinguish the smallest embers on the way to bigger blazes because “that’s how it’s spreading from house to house.”

The fire was the worst of several major blazes across Southern California, including one in Bel-Air that closed the 405 Freeway on Wednesday, one in the Angeles National Forest near Sylmar and another in the Santa Clarita Valley.

At least 150 structures — including one large apartment complex and the Vista Del Mar Hospital, a psychiatric facility — were consumed by flames. But Cal Fire suspects the true number is hundreds more; firefighters just haven’t been able to get into some areas to know for sure.


An aerial view shows homes that burned in the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times )

Geoff Marcus walked past the charred remains of his Dodge Ram in the driveway of his Ventura home and surveyed the rubble that was left behind.

The raging Thomas fire chewed through the five-bedroom house he grew up in and his family has owned for 60 years.

“I’m looking to see what we can salvage,” Marcus, 58, said.


He spent the morning rummaging through the ashes with his two sons, Steven and Daniel. Together, they were able to scrounge a few ceramic plates and mugs.

Geoff Marcus’ home burned down in the #ThomasFire. He and his sons are searching through the rubble salvage anything they can. pic.twitter.com/0lJ9B0nc9Y — Sarah Parvini 🦅 (سارا) (@sarahparvini) December 6, 2017

Marcus said he and his mother evacuated Monday and had no more than 10 minutes to leave. He saw the flames — “an orange glow like the earth was angry” — and knew it was time to evacuate.

“It was enough time to grab the family and that was it. That was all I had,” he said.


Both his neighbors’ homes also burned, along with one house across from his and the homes along a nearby ridge. On Wednesday, smoke rose from the ground, which was still radiating heat.

“I feel loss but my family is safe, and, well, that’s all I care about. These are all possessions that can be replaced,” he said, walking through piles of burned wood and appliances.

Behind him, a blackened shower stood perfectly intact.

“This was a happy place where we celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everything my mom has collected and cherished is gone,” he said.


As his sons looked through the property, Marcus searched for one particular artifact — a portion of the driveway where he and his father had carved their names in 1984.

“I was hoping to find some jewelry, but it all melted,” he said.

The home was renovated in 2008, he said. Marcus and his mother are staying at his nephew’s house nearby until his insurance company provides him with temporary housing.

“I kept hoping we’d come back and there would be a house,” he said. “Now we rebuild and start over. There’s not much you can do otherwise.”


His son Steven popped his head up where the fireplace once stood.

“Hey!” he shouted. “I found an angel!”

He waved a small “Precious Moments” figurine with a halo atop its head, then tossed it to his brother with a laugh.

They found an assortment of ceramics, including an angel figurine and a plate that read “Little things mean a lot” from Mother’s Day 1982. pic.twitter.com/OwaHPzGtFM — Sarah Parvini 🦅 (سارا) (@sarahparvini) December 6, 2017


At a briefing Wednesday morning, Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told crews that Santa Ana winds would pick up again on Thursday.

Officials noted that “the wind has overwhelmed everything. ... It’s driven the fire across all kinds of terrain.”

“You hear the winds are going to be slacking a little, but keep in mind by slacking we mean gusts of 80 go down to 35,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Tim Chavez. “If you notice the air gets still and quiet for a little while, stay there.”

Crews were warned of firefighter deaths that occurred in this area in the past during “a similar situation to today, a weakening Santa Ana.”


Ventura County Fire Capt. Steve Kaufmann said 50,000 residents had been evacuated from their homes and many don’t know the fate of their properties.

“A lot of those folks haven’t seen the state of their homes since they left, and we do have a number of homes destroyed,” he said. “I plead with you, please do not post any pictures of destroyed homes or structures. We don’t want to be the one who shows them their home is destroyed for the first time.”

He added: “The folks here don’t differentiate based on the patch on your shoulder. Please go out and do good work on behalf of our citizens.”

The fire hopscotched through Ventura on Tuesday, burning hillside homes, reaching into subdivisions and also consuming a hospital and a large apartment building. The fire swept through blocks, taking some homes and sparing others.


The blaze started about 6:25 p.m. Monday in the foothills near Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, a popular hiking destination. It grew wildly to more than 15 square miles in the hours that followed — consuming vegetation that hasn’t burned in decades, Ventura County Fire Sgt. Eric Buschow said.

Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

10:45 a.m.: Updated with body of woman found.


7:10 a.m.: Updated with 101 reopened.

5:45 a.m.” Updated with new fire directions.

4:20 a.m. Dec. 7: Updated with 101 closure.

11:30 p.m.: This article was updated with new evacuations in Ojai Valley.


10:55 p.m.: This article was updated with a quote from a Ventura County sheriff’s official.

9:30 p.m.: This article was updated with new mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders.

7:25 p.m.: This article was updated with a containment figure.

6:40 p.m.: This article was updated with new acreage burned and quotes from fire officials.


2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with Thursday’s forecast and comments from residents.

10:40 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from state fire officials.

10:05 a.m.: This article was updated with new estimates on homes threatened and residents evacuated.

This article was originally published at 8:25 a.m. Dec. 6.