Southern California hit with wind-whipped wildfire

Flames from the Thomas fire have burned 45,500 acres and forced 27,000 people to evacuate the city of Ventura in southern California as of late Tuesday morning, the LA Times reports. The fire has already destroyed 150 buildings, and there are 1,000 firefighters on the scene.

The backdrop: California is already facing a months-long recovery process after a string of deadly wildfires hit the northern part of the state in October, killing 42 people and destroying 8,400 structures, including parts of the city of Santa Rosa.