Extremely critical fire weather will continue Thursday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and particularly in the mountains of Southern California, the National Weather Service said. Red-flag warnings, which expired late Wednesday in Northern California, will remain in effect through Thursday for much of the southern part of the state as strong Santa Ana winds continue. Some population centers under extreme fire danger Thursday include Oxnard, Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Inglewood, according to the National Weather Service. Among places listed at critical risk are Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside and Chula Vista. Weather conditions will remain clear and windy with below-normal temperatures through the end of the week. 🔥😱

Authorities in Harris County, Texas, on Thursday gave chase to three suspects in a car that stretched 120 miles and hit speeds of up to 110 mph, a report said. The Houston Chronicle reported that the chase started at about 8 p.m. during a routine traffic stop. The report said it was unclear what led to the initial stop. But police said the car took off and the chase lasted about an hour. The suspects were reportedly seen tossing items out from the car during the pursuit. KHOU reported that three suspects were arrested after the car crashed. The channel reported that the chase resulted in at least eight crashes. 👮🏻‍♂️ #pursuit

A brush fire broke out north of Los Angeles on Thursday night, burning thousands of acres and forcing countless residents to evacuate their homes. The so-called Maria Fire has spread to approximately 4,000 acres, with zero containment, according to Cal Fire, the state's firefighting agency. It broke out atop South Mountain, just south of Santa Paula in Ventura County, just after 6pm and was moving toward Somis and Saticoy, two small agricultural towns, reported the Los Angeles Times. Authorities have ordered evacuations for around 7,500 people in an area, the Fire Department said. Around 1,800 buildings are threatened and two have been destroyed. There were about 400 firefighters both on the ground to keep the blaze from spreading to homes as well as in helicopters who were dropping water from above. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub says aerial firefighting efforts were hampered at one point by someone flying a small drone that was looking to photograph the fire. 🔥😱