b'The Thomas Fire spread through the hills above Ventura, in the northern greater Los Angeles megalopolis, with the speed of a hurricane. Driven by 50 mph Santa Ana winds\\u2014bone-dry katabatic air moving at freeway speeds out of the Mojave desert\\u2014the fire transformed overnight from a 5,000-acre burn in a charming chaparral-lined canyon to an inferno the size of Orlando, Florida, that only stopped spreading because it reached the Pacific.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'