Above: Photo from Torrey Peak near Fillmore at 8:15 a.m. PST December 11, 2017.
(Originally published at 8:52 a.m. PST December 11, 2017)
Photos of east side of Thomas Fire
Category: Uncategorized
Smoke from Thomas Fire affects air quality in California
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Smoke from Thomas Fire affects air quality in California 
Above: Wildfire smoke forecast for 6 p.m. PST December 10, 2017.
(Originally published at 3:30 p.m. PST December 10, 2017)
The Thomas Fire is having a significant effect on the air quality in California. Some areas downwind of the fire to the northwest had “unhealthy” conditions at 2 p.m. Sunday, including Santa Barbara and Goleta. Forecasts show that smoke and ash will continue to affect the southern part of Santa Barbara County for the next several days. The Santa Ynez Valley and the northern parts of the County will see increasing impacts.
Massive imposing smoke from #ThomasFire today. Looking west from Newbury Park. pic.twitter.com/gekRcWcPiO
— Greg Vit (@gvitty) December 10, 2017
Red Flag Warnings continue in Southern California
Red Flag Warnings have been issued for areas in Southern California, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas.
In Los Angeles and Ventura Counties east winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph will continue at times today (Sunday) and again late tonight and Monday, however, winds are expected to be weaker on Monday. Meanwhile, minimum humidities of 3 to 10 percent will be common through at least the middle of next week, with widespread poor overnight recoveries mostly staying under 30 percent. As a result, critical Red Flag conditions will persist over most of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties through Sunday with a chance for locally critical conditions continuing into Monday especially in the mountains. The Santa Barbara County Mountains will also remain in critical fire weather conditions today due to plume development of the existing fire and very low humidity.
The map was current as of 10:39 a.m. MST on Sunday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts.
Thomas Fire spreads into Santa Barbara County
New mandatory evacuation orders issued. New estimates show approximately 230,000 acres have burned.
Above: The Thomas Fire as seen from Sisar Peak east of Ojai at 9:07 a.m. PST December 10, 2017.
(UPDATED at 9:58 p.m. PST December 10, 2017)
The Thomas Fire has spread well into Santa Barbara County, and Sunday afternoon was on the slopes north of Carpinteria, California. The strong northeast Santa Ana wind slowed, as has the fire growth, but the vegetation is so dry that a moderate wind can still keep it moving at a persistent pace
(All articles on Wildfire Today about the Thomas Fire are tagged “Thomas Fire”.)
Sunday evening the U.S. Forest Service reported the fire has burned 230,000 acres. If this is accurate it puts it at number 5, near the top of the list of the largest fires in the recorded history of California.
The forecast calls for wind on the slopes above Carpinteria Sunday night to be from the northeast at 10 mph, variable directions on Monday, and then Monday night to again be from the northeast but stronger, 15 mph with gusts to 23. The relative humidity will remain in the teens night and day through Tuesday. This could lead to active fire behavior throughout that period.
Using heat sensor data from a satellite, we mapped the additional acres that burned on the west side of the fire Saturday night and early Sunday morning. It is shown in blue on the map below, and this freshly burned area covers about 40,000 acres. The data is not verified, since at times the heat sensor was overwhelmed by hot particulate matter in the smoke plume outside the actual fire perimeter, so this may change after more accurate information is available from an overnight fixed wing aircraft mapping flight.
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(UPDATED at 4:55 p.m. PST December 12, 2017)
At a town hall meeting about the Thomas Fire at San Marcos High School today, officials provided updated information.
The fire made a major run during much of the day on Sunday, adding an estimated 50,000 acres which could bring the total size up to around 225,000 acres by the end of the day. This would make it the 5th largest in recorded history of the state. These numbers are subject to verification by aerial mapping scheduled for Sunday night.
An additional 100 fire engines were ordered for the Santa Barbara area.
The live broadcast was hosted by VCFD_PIO on Periscope.
By the numbers:
Structures Threatened: 15,000
Structures Destroyed: 754
Structures Damaged: 162
Engines: 611
Water Tenders: 31
Helicopters: 30
Hand Crews: 55
Dozers: 51
Total Personnel: 4435
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(Updated at 9:51 a.m. PST December 10, 2017)
New evacuation orders have been issued for areas in Santa Barbara County as the Thomas Fire aggressively spreads further west. Saturday afternoon it moved into the county north of Carpinteria putting up massive convection columns of smoke Saturday night and Sunday morning as strong winds and very low humidity persisted throughout the night.
The fire continues to burn actively to the north, east, and west threatening structures in parts of the cities of Ventura, Ojai, Casitas Springs, Santa Paula, Carpinteria, Fillmore and the unincorporated areas of Ventura County and Matilija Canyon. It is expected to spread towards Sespe Wilderness and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary.
CAL FIRE reported Sunday morning that the Thomas Fire has burned 173,000 acres and destroyed 537 structures, damaging 118 others.
The latest information about evacuations is at the Santa Barbara County website, but generally, as of 7 a.m. Sunday, the new area is “north of Highway 192, E. Valley Road, east of Buena Vista Drive, to include the 900 block of Park Lane, is a mandatory evacuation zone. Everything south of Highway 192, E. Valley Road, east of San Ysidro, is under a voluntary warning order.” (map) An evacuation shelter has been established at the UCSB Recreational Center, 516 Ocean Road, Santa Barbara.
The weather continues to be a challenge for firefighters. The Sunday forecast call for a Red Flag Warning including winds northeast at 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. And on Monday, 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph.
#ThomasFire – FF’s knock down flames as they advance on a home atop Shepherd Mesa Road in Carpinteria at 6 am Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/3M9rO7cYCd
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) December 10, 2017
#ThomasFire– A home burns early Sunday morning off Gobernador Canyon Road in Carpinteria. pic.twitter.com/OoIp3yc1sE
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) December 10, 2017
Red Flag Warnings in Southern California and Colorado
Red Flag Warnings have been issued for areas in Southern California and Colorado.
An extended period of Santa Ana offshore winds will continue through at least Sunday focused over much of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The winds today will be the weakest of the next three days with gusts generally in the 30 to 40 mph range, and more afternoon onshore flow nearer to the coast. The winds should increase Saturday and peak on Sunday with gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range (but still much weaker than Thursday). Meanwhile, minimum humidities of 5 to 10 percent will be common through at least the middle of next week, with widespread poor overnight recoveries mostly staying under 30 percent. As a result, critical Red Flag conditions will persist over most of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties through Sunday.
The map was current as of 11:45 a.m. MST on Friday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts.
Thomas Fire continues to march to the west
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Thomas Fire continues to march to the west The fire has burned 155,000 acres near Ventura, Carpinteria, and Ojai in Southern California. Ventura County Fire Department reports 600 structures have been destroyed.
Above: The red line was the perimeter of the Thomas Fire at 9:30 p.m. PST December 8. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 12:45 p.m. PST December 9, 2017.
(UPDATED at 6:52 p.m. PST December 9, 2017)
The 155,000-acre Thomas Fire has moved into Santa Barbara County near Divide Peak. Late Saturday afternoon the Incident Management Team reported that 460 structures have been destroyed in the city of Ventura and another 140 in the rest of Ventura County.
Most of the growth of the fire Friday night and Saturday morning was on the west side. The east side northwest of Fillmore was also active and air tankers and helicopters were used with good results there Saturday.
As the fire moves closer to Carpinteria 50 engines have been staged in the city and preparations are being made to protect structures and construct firelines. The fire is about 5 miles northeast of the intersection of Highways 1 and 150 on the east side of the city.
An unmanned aerial aircraft is being used to provide a live video feed to firefighters.
About 4,400 personnel are assigned to the fire and a large order for additional resources was placed today. The estimated costs to date are $25 million.
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(UPDATED at 5:45 a.m. PST December 9, 2017)
The Incident Management Team reports that the Thomas Fire has destroyed 476 structures and burned 143,000 acres. Some mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted but many are still in place for some locations in the Ventura and Ojai areas.
On Friday the fire was very active across most of the north side, west of Lake Casitas, and northwest of Fillmore. It is expected to spread towards Santa Barbara County, Sespe Wilderness and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary.
Temporary residential access will be permitted on Saturday 12/9/17 and Sunday 12/10/17 during the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm for residents who live in the areas affected by the Thomas Fire. The access will be by escort only. A check-in tent will be set up in the parking lot of Temple Beth Torah located at 7620 Foothill Road. Residents must be able to show proof of residency (Driver’s License, Utility Bill, etc.) to be permitted to enter. Entry will be limited to 2 persons per household. Personal vehicles will not be allowed into the area. Residents will be driven to their home and allowed a 15-minute period of time to get personal necessities (clothing, medication, etc.). For safety purposes, access will not be permitted to home sites which have been destroyed or sustained damage that poses a safety risk.
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(UPDATED at 5:24 p.m. PST December 8, 2017)
The Ventura County Fire Department has revised the number structures destroyed in the Thomas Fire from 91 to 401.
Friday afternoon the fire was very active on the north side — north of Wheeler Springs, and on the east side northwest of Fillmore. It was fairly quiet around Ojai with the exception of a controlled burnout to help tie in some fireline south of the south end of Boardman Road.
(All articles on Wildfire Today about the Thomas Fire are tagged “Thomas Fire”.)
The 747 airtanker that dropped about 57,000 gallons of fire retardant on the Thomas Fire today is under contract to CAL FIRE.
Big, Big Bird: Tanker-944 (747) at work on the #ThomasFire https://t.co/2cyAhzgwZI pic.twitter.com/jLIW9sNN7f
— USFS Fire-California (@R5_Fire_News) December 8, 2017
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(Originally published at 10:40 a.m. December 8, 2017)
The 132,000-acre Thomas Fire is far from being contained. Over the last two days it has been spreading to the west, almost enveloping the city of Ojai and growing closer to Carpinteria as it burns near the Pacific Ocean.
(All articles about the Thomas Fire on Wildfire Today are tagged “Thomas Fire”.)
These numbers will no doubt change in the next week or so, but officials report that 73 residential, 3 commercial and 15 outbuildings have been destroyed, mostly in the Ventura area.
This huge “megafire” is being fought with 471 engines, 28 hand crews, 12 helicopters, 26 dozers, and 7 water tenders, for a total of 2,509 personnel.
