Firefighters continued to battle several wind-fueled wildfires in southern California Friday, including a new rapidly expanding blaze that erupted north of San Diego. Over the past five days, the fires have destroyed at least 500 structures and forced almost 200,000 people to evacuate their homes said.
California's Battle Against Wildfires Continues
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![The Thomas fire burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, California, Dec. 8, 2017.](https://gdb.voanews.com/934ff6d7-fc5a-4e1f-872e-75bc4f8e718c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The Thomas fire burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, California, Dec. 8, 2017.
![Firefighter Simon Garcia, of Heartland Fire Dept., gets a hug from a woman who did not give her name after she arrived to find her house was intact in the Rancho Monserate Country Club, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook, California.](https://gdb.voanews.com/ed4573e1-d6bf-44bc-b6da-75812914f406_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Firefighter Simon Garcia, of Heartland Fire Dept., gets a hug from a woman who did not give her name after she arrived to find her house was intact in the Rancho Monserate Country Club, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook, California.
![An aircraft drops fire retardant as firefighters take advantage of light winds to attack the Lilac Fire, a fast-moving wildfire in Bonsall, California, Dec. 8, 2017.](https://gdb.voanews.com/8f8e9d34-0afc-4f88-8736-02de4cc03957_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An aircraft drops fire retardant as firefighters take advantage of light winds to attack the Lilac Fire, a fast-moving wildfire in Bonsall, California, Dec. 8, 2017.
![Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club, Dec. 8, 2017, in Bonsall, California.](https://gdb.voanews.com/6868c7c1-f521-42d0-91cc-28bd10fc7c7a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club, Dec. 8, 2017, in Bonsall, California.