Before-and-after photos show how Ventura County has been ravaged by the wildfire

Ventura, a bucolic seaside town on California's coast, has been utterly destroyed by the wildfires that have ravaged Southern California in recent weeks.

The Thomas Fire, which is burning over 240,000 acres as of Thursday, has leveled homes, apartments, and hospitals as it swept through Ventura. Thousands of firefighters battled the blaze, though it remains only 30% contained.

The current blaze has been fed by dry, powerful winds and an uncharacteristic lack of precipitation. But the destruction in Ventura is part of a scary trend - severe wildfires in California have increased in frequency over the last two decades.

Here are some of the most striking images of the damage: