Flames from a back-firing operation rise behind a home off Ladera Lane near Bella Vista Drive in Santa Barbara, California, on Thursday, December 14. Powerful Santa Ana winds and extremely dry conditions are fueling wildfires in Southern California in what has been a devastating year for such natural disasters in the state.
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Fire, smoke and ash from the Thomas Fire blanket Santa Barbara on Wednesday, December 13.
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A smoke-filled sky filters sunlight to orange around a surfer as the Thomas Fire continues to grow and threaten communities from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara on Tuesday, December 12, in Carpinteria, California.
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People watch as firefighters battle flames in Carpinteria, California, on Monday, December 11.
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As smoke obscures the sun, a Coulson C-130 air tanker turns to make a drop on a Carpinteria hillside on December 11.
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As the Thomas Fire burns in the background, Dan Bellaart and his wife, Mary McEwen, comfort each other in their backyard in Montecito, California, on December 11.
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The Thomas Fire burns in the mountains near Carpinteria on Sunday, December 10.
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Firefighters battle a wildfire as it advances on homes in Carpinteria on December 10.
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A cloud of smoke overshadows downtown Ventura, California, on December 10.
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Horses are evacuated from the Laughing Dog Ranch as smoke from the Thomas Fire descends on the area in Ojai, California, on Saturday, December 9.
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The shell of a burnt-out bus is seen after fire swept through residential neighborhoods near Ojai on Friday, December 8.
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Flames rise as a fire approaches the Lake Casitas area of Ojai on December 8.
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A burnt Mercedes is seen after the Skirball Fire swept through the Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air on Thursday, December 7.
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Palm trees sway in a gust of wind as a firefighter carries a hose in Ventura on December 7.
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Residents watch the Thomas Fire burn a hillside above La Conchita, California, on December 7.
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Fires surround a hilltop mansion in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 6.
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"Daddy, the home is gone," Amanda Lewis tells her family on December 6. The Thomas Fire raged through her parents' foothill neighborhood in Ventura.
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Smoke rises across Southern California in this image taken from the International Space Station on December 6.
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A Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter makes a water drop on flames after the Skirball Fire swept through Bel-Air on December 6.
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Flames from the Thomas Fire burn above a truck north of Ventura on December 6.
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Joyce George, right, comforts neighbor Dawn Reily on December 6. Reily's Ventura home was destroyed by fire.
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Flames consume vehicles in Ventura on Tuesday, December 5.
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Smoke billows from a burning house in Los Angeles as the Creek Fire moves through the area on December 5.
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A man watches as a wildfire burns in Ventura on December 5.
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The Creek Fire burns on a hillside in the Shadow Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on December 5.
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A firefighter battles a blaze in the Lake View Terrace area of Los Angeles on December 5.
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Antoine Hanna comforts his wife, Tammy, after firefighters saved their home in Ventura on December 5.
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This Ventura apartment complex, seen on December 5, was destroyed by fire.
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A firefighter sprays water at a burning house in the Lake View Terrace area of Los Angeles on December 5.
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Palm trees burn in Ventura on December 5.
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Ventura County firefighter Aaron Cohen rests on December 5.
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A man prepares to evacuate his house in Santa Paula, California, on December 5.
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A man tries to catch a horse that got loose in the Lake View Terrace area of Los Angeles on December 5.
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Shrubs burn near a home in Ventura on December 5.
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James and Josie Ralstin carry belongings retrieved from their home in Ventura on December 5.
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Firefighters work to put out a blaze engulfing homes in Ventura on December 5.
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The Thomas Fire burns along a hillside near Santa Paula on December 5.
