The horror of Southern California's wildfires, in 5 photos

California wildfire.
(Image credit: KYLE GRILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)

Wildfires have scorched more than 65,000 acres in Southern California, where hundreds of structures have been destroyed and thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate. As of Tuesday night, the largest of the three fires — the 50,000 plus acre Thomas Fire, which is reportedly burning at rate of nearly an acre a second — had a containment rate of 0 percent and made it as far as the Pacific Ocean.

Unusually strong Santa Ana winds have fueled fires on dry hillsides that haven't been touched by rain in over eight months. Below, five photos that show the horror of Southern California's wildfires. Kelly O'Meara Morales

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Kelly O'Meara Morales

Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.