<p>Santa Ana winds whipped up several wildfires in southern California early this week, with the largest, the Thomas fire, scorching 50,000 acres in Ventura County and prompting hundreds of evacuations.</p><p>This footage shows the Rye fire burning near Valencia, California. The fire hit 5,000 acres by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, December 5, after starting at about 9:30am. Hundreds of homes were evacuated due to the blaze. Credit: Twitter/Allen Beggs via Storyful</p><br />
