Southern California‘s firefighters could be battling blazes right into Christmas Day, experts have warned, as the wildfire-stricken state faces at least 16 days without rain.

Ten wildfires continue to roar across the state from Ojai down, with the oldest and largest – Monday’s Thomas Fire – having now consumed at least 155,000 acres of land.

That means it’s officially the first wintertime megafire in California’s history – but it likely won’t be the last, according to Governor Jerry Brown, who has called December wildfires ‘the new normal’.

‘This is the new normal, and this could be something that happens every year or every few years,’ he said in a press conference after seeing the devastation Thomas has caused in Ventura County.

‘We’re about ready to have firefighting at Christmas.’

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Brown also said the state needed more resources to be able to fight winter fires.

‘We’re facing a new reality in this state, where fires threatened people’s lives, their properties, their neighborhoods and billions and billions of dollars,’ he said. ‘So we have to have the resources to combat the fires.’

Last winter saw the end of a five-year-long drought for California, but even that extraordinary experience has not prepared residents of its southern half for the powerful wildfires that have been burning for up to six days so far.

Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean told the Daily News that traditional expectations for California fires no longer hold sway.

‘Now, there is no fire season,’ he said. ‘Southern California hasn’t really had weather. Nothing changes as far as topography, but the vegetation does change. There’s a lot of fuel out there right now.’

Some have questioned whether the fires might be linked to climate change, but experts told The Atlantic that the signs aren’t clear.

‘These fires are not immediately emblematic of climate change,’ John Abatzoglou, an associate professor of geography and climate at the University of Idaho, said.

Rather, he said, the problem was the delayed rainfall.

‘Yes, California did have the warmest summer on record. But the big anomaly here is the delay in the onset of precipitation for the southland that has kept the vegetation dry and fire-prone.’

Alexandra Syphard, an expert in fires at the Conservation Biology Institute, said that the current fires were ‘texbook’ and that ‘wind-driven fire events occur most typically in the fall, but can also occur like this, later in the year with fast-spreading, ember-driven fires under Santa Ana wind conditions.’

So far rainfall since October has been five per cent lower than usual, but for fire-fighters the relentless Santa Ana winds have been the real thorn in their side.

Severe midweek winds with gusts of up to 80mph scuppered chances of getting then-active blazes under control, as helicopters and planes were grounded, and ashes and embers lit fires far away.

So far Ventura County’s Thomas Fire alone has destroyed 537 structures, damaged 118 more, and been implicated in the death of a 70-year-old woman who crashed her car while evacuating the area.

And it is still only 15 per cent contained.

Five other major wildfires – the Rye Fire near Santa Clarita; the Creek Fire near Sylmar; the Skirball Fire that burned Bel Air; the Liberty Fire near Murrieta; and the Lilac Fire in San Diego County’s Pala Mesa area – are currently only partially contained.

HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST SMOKE

The danger facing many Californians is not the thick, black smoke associated with blazes, but the tiny, invisible particles that come with it.

These pm2.5 particles are small enough to enter bloodstream, potentially triggering heart attacks.

Staying indoors as much as possible – with all windows shuy – can help.

So can using AC that recirculates interior air.

Masks are also useful – but surgeon’s masks and covering one’s face with clothing will not work.

Instead, N95 masks – so called because they filter out 95% of particulate matter – are needed.

These are the masks used by builders and other industrial professionals.

N95 masks like the one held by this woman will protect from smoke particles; surgeon masks like the one she is wearing will not

In total, the state is currently looking at more than 700 structures destroyed, 174,543 acres burned, eight firefighters injured, and five civilians hurt with another one killed.

That fatality was Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, who crashed on Wednesday while fleeing the Thomas Fire, and succumbed to a combination of head trauma, smoke inhalation and thermal injury.

And the Santa Ana winds are expected to continue through to Sunday at the very least.

It’s not just the fires that represent a hazard, however – the smoke is dangerous too, triggering breathing and heart problems in susceptible people.

Even those in areas with no visible smoke can be affected, as the real concern is the tiny, invisible pm2.5 particles, which are small enough to get into the bloodstream.

Not only can they cause trouble for people with lung problems like asthma or emphysema, they can also trigger heart attacks in people who are susceptible.

Air quality rating site AirNow showed affected areas to be as high as 151 on Friday night; anything over 100 is considered unhealthy. Some locations in Ventura Country were as high as 331 on Friday.

That’s put a huge strain on area hospitals, who must now accommodate those affected by the low-lying choking clouds. Even staying indoors does not necessarily substantially reduce the pm2.5 count.

Patents as young as five have been submitted with breathing problems, while asthma attacks are on the rise. The San Fernando Valley is also suffering from poor air quality caused by the fires, officials say.

Health officials are advising everyone to stay indoors as much as possible, even when smoke cannot be seen or smelled, as the pm2.5 particles are so small that they can be imperceptible without proper equipment.

Outdoor activity, particularly exercise or anything that causes heavy breathing, should be limited, and if possible air filters or AC that recirculates inside air should be used.

Masks can also protect against the smoke – but they need to be N95 masks, which means that they filter out 95 per cent of particulate matter. Surgeons’ masks and covering mouths with clothing will do nothing.

The demand for masks that can protect against the smoke is so great that 100 people were seen lining up outside a mall in Carpinteria, Santa Barbera, to collect free masks, the LA Times reported.

Although only one person has died in the blazes so far, animals have not been as lucky; at least 54 horses have died as fires swept through stables in rural areas too quickly for the animals to be freed.

On Thursday at least 25 horses were killed and three people injured at the San Luis Rey training center in Bonsall, San Diego County, when a fire ripped through stables.

A trainer suffered second- and third-degree burns over half her body trying to rescue horses; she was airlifted to a San Diego hospital and placed in a medically induced coma.

And two days previously, 29 horses died at Rancho Padilla near Sylmar after the Creek fire moved in too fast for the owners to free the animals…...More Here