Governor Jerry Brown to visit Southern California wildfire zones
FALLBROOK, Calif. -- California Gov. Jerry Brown will visit the scene of a deadly wildfire in Ventura as firefighters continue the battle against wind-whipped blazes that have torched hundreds of homes.
Brown will survey damage from the Thomas Fire on Saturday and will meet with emergency management officials and residents.
The fire is the largest of six that have scorched Southern California. The fires from Ventura County to San Diego County have destroyed more than 500 buildings, killed dozens of horses and forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate.
One death is blamed on the Ventura blaze: A 70-year-old woman who crashed her car while evacuating.
On Friday, President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration allowing counties affected by the wildfires to receive federal assistance.
State fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser says fires fueled by Santa Ana winds are as unstoppable as tornados and hurricanes.
Firefighters gained ground Friday and some of the earliest evacuees from the week's fires were returning home, but danger persists.
Vegetation is bone dry and there's been hardly any rainfall. Forecasts in the Los Angeles and Ventura areas call for gusts up to 40 mph Saturday and up to 50 mph Sunday.
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