Update: As of 9:15 a.m., the fire has expanded to 45,500 with 1000 firefighters involved in the fighting effort.
Update: As of 2:20 a.m., 7,786 homes are under evacuation orders, and the fire is at 26,000 acres.
A massive wildfire continues its explosive growth in Ventura County, burning on multiple fronts in the county.
A line of flames from the Thomas Fire stretches for miles through the mountains from the Santa Paula area towards Ventura. Evacuation orders are in place for hundreds of homes on the north side of Santa Paula, as well as the areas north of Foothill Road in East Ventura. Firefighters say as of 11:45 p.m., 1000 homes in Eastern Ventura faced evacuation orders.
The evacuation orders for the area led to massive traffic backups in the Ventura area.
At one point, power was reported to be out to more than 100,000 customers in Western Ventura County. One death has been reported in a traffic accident which Ventura County Fire officials say was related to the blaze, but the specifics of what occurred haven't been released.
Additional information on the fire can be found via the Ventura County Fire Department's site at readyventuracounty.org.
