A strong wind blows embers at the Thomas Fire on Dec. 16, 2017 in Montecito, California. Credit: David mcnew/Getty Images California's Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties has ...

Kraig Lieb / Alamy As California prepares for the 2018 wildfire ... including the catastrophic Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Ravaging some 280,000 acres and destroying over ...