If the fire gets into the canyon and the winds breathe new life into the flames, there is nothing to stop the blaze from racing into the foothill homes of Montecito, says a fire operations commander.
The year grinding to a close was a paradoxical one for cinema. There was no lack of excellent films in all genres and from all corners of the world, with one notable exception: Hollywood USA.
A procession carries the body of fallen firefighter Cory Iverson, 32, a member of Cal Fire's San Diego unit who died battling the Thomas fire as it spread toward Santa Barbara.