The Thomas fire took yet another unusual twist, when it surfaced in the scenic mountains between Ventura and Carpinteria, created a miles long sea of flame.
The fire had moved west from Ventura through some inland mountains, but early Tuesday evening the flames moved south, even jumping Highway 101 and almost making it to the ocean. The Coast Highway gave firefighters a wide break to protect homes on the ocean side of the freeway from the flames.
At time, the flames kicked up 50 feet in the air, created huge orange pyres. The fire prompted mandatory evacuations for the beachfront homes.
