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Latest Update On Thomas Brush Fire Keeps Acreage Burned At 50,000 Acres, 150 Structures Lost

Tuesday night map of Thomas Fire boundaries

Firefighters battling the massive 50,000 acre Thomas brush fire in Ventura County say they may be getting a slight break with the weather overnight Tuesday, with much milder Santa Ana wind conditions than the county had Monday night.

The fire has destroyed at least 150 structures, but the number could be higher because crews haven't had a chance to survey the buildings which were lost.  The 150 number was issued Tuesday morning, but multiple homes were seen burning in the Ventura area throughout the day.

More than 27,000 people are under evacuation orders, and three thousand structures are considered to be at risk.  One of the big area of concerns now is the Ojai Valley.  There's a mandatory evacuation order in place for Casitas Springs, and a voluntary one is in place for the Ojai Valley.

There's been one death connected with the fire.  Someone who was evacuating one of the at risk communities from the blaze M onday night died as the result of a traffic  accident.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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