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The
so-called Thomas Fire has destroyed more than 1,000 structures,
including about 750 homes, in coastal communities in Southern
California since erupting on Dec. 4, the California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement.
It has cost $97 million to fight the 256,000-acre
(103,600-hectare) blaze, with thousands of firefighters
contending with it around the clock and helicopters and
airplanes being used to drop retardant on the flames.
The vast landscape charred by the blaze, which is centered less
than 100 miles (161 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, is
approaching the 257,314 acres (104,131 hectares) destroyed by
California's Rim Fire in 2013. The Rim Fire is the third-largest
blaze on record in the state.
The Thomas Fire is only 35 percent contained and it threatens
18,000 structures, officials said, including some in the wealthy
enclave of Montecito just outside the city of Santa Barbara. The
blaze is chewing up tall grass and brush as it expands along the
scenic Pacific Coast.
The hot Santa Ana winds that have helped the fire grow, at times
sending embers far ahead of its main flank, were forecast to
remain strong through Saturday evening in the Santa Barbara
County mountains, the National Weather Service warned. Gusts of
up to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) were expected.
From Saturday night through Sunday evening, the winds could lash
neighboring Ventura County, the Weather Service said. That is
where the Thomas Fire first began due to unknown causes, and
where it was still burning.
Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, 32, died on Thursday while
battling the flames near the Ventura County community of
Fillmore. Fire officials said Iverson, the blaze's first
fatality, left behind a pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter.
The Thomas Fire was one of several major blazes that broke out
in Southern California this month, although the others have been
contained.
The blazes forced many schools to close for days, shut roads and
drove hundreds of thousands from their homes. The fires were
also responsible for poor air quality throughout Southern
California.
(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by
Mark Potter)
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