Burning with extreme speed and ferocity, a flurry of wildfires torched more than 65,000 acres in Southern California, as firefighters struggled to contain the simultaneous infernos. Powerful Santa Ana winds and extremely dry conditions fueled at least five wildfires Tuesday, marking what has been a devastating year for fires in California.The largest of the blazes, called the Thomas Fire, spanned about 78 square miles in Ventura County, which sits just north of Los Angeles.