Thomas Fire reaches 25 percent containment, but winds stoke new worries

Firefighters battling a stubborn wildfire burning a path of destruction through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties had a quarter of the blaze contained Wednesday, but winds picking up threaten to impede progress.

The Thomas Fire has scorched 237,500 acres — or roughly 370 square miles — since starting on Dec. 4. The inferno, one of multiple blazes that broke out this month in Southern California, has destroyed more than 900 structures and damaged nearly 200 more as blustery Santa Ana winds and dry conditions have fueled its rise to become the fifth largest fire in modern state history.