Four crews had to retreat, and four vehicles were damaged by the fire
On December 10 about six days after the Thomas Fire started it made a significant run to the west while pushed by strong Santa Ana winds. According to a “Blue Sheet” released by CAL FIRE, two strike teams of hand crews, which would normally be four crews of 12 to 20 persons each, had to retreat to a safer area. The report says they went to a “temporary refuge area”, TRA, which is a new term. This is unlike a safety zone where firefighters could stage without a risk of fire impingement or the need for a fire shelter.
In this first incident one of the emergency crew transport (ECT) vehicles sustained minor heat damage when its route was blocked by another ECT.
In two other unrelated incidents on the fire that night involving staged equipment, a dozer and an all-terrain vehicle were damaged by the fire and an excavator was destroyed.
The backfire should take three to four days and could encompass at least 15,000 to 20,000 acres.
Above: The northernmost red perimeter area is the beginning of the firing operation that could cover 20,000 acres if successfully completed. Map by Incident Management Team.
(Originally published at 9:45 a.m. PST December 19, 2017)
On Monday firefighters on the 271,750-acre Thomas Fire in Southern California began a very large firing operation, or backfire, out ahead of the fire that will remove fuel and secure approximately 17 miles of the north side of the fire. It is one to three miles away from the current fire edge and will tie in with Highway 33. In the video below Operations Section Chief Brian Rhodes explains that it could continue east to Rose Valley.
#ThomasFire -the firing operation could last 3-4days as weather permits & should be15-20k acres in size. Both Helitorch & hand firing used. pic.twitter.com/EpUIrFfyap
On Monday the fire was relatively quiet compared to activity during the previous 16 days, allowing firefighters to secure additional firelines. However the firing operation created a large smoke column on the north side. The threat to Fillmore has decreased with the completion of line from town to Devil’s Gate. Continued strengthening of control lines will help to further decrease threats. On the north and east flanks of the fire, the fire continues to progress further into the Matilija and Sespe Wilderness and toward the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. Fire suppression repair and damage inspection will continue as appropriate based on fire conditions. Repopulation will continue as threats in previously evacuated areas decreases.
Thomas Fire. Photo credit: Ventura County Fire Department.
Steep, rugged terrain on the Thomas Fire along Hwy. 33.
Rob Lowe showed appreciation for firefighters that helped protect his home and many others in the Montecito area on the Thomas Fire in Southern California.
The fire is likely to become the largest California fire in recorded history
Above: An injured firefighter in Rose Valley near Ojai is carried to a waiting Ventura County Fire Department Helicopter on the Thomas Fire. Photo by Ventura County FD.
(Updated at 10:27 a.m. PST December 18, 2017)
Two firefighters were injured Sunday while battling the Thomas Fire in Southern California, authorities said. One of them was flown out of Rose Valley near Ojai to a hospital. The injuries were minor but the helicopter was used due to the rough terrain.
No further information was available about the second firefighter, who reportedly also had minor injuries.
Cory D. Iverson, a CAL FIRE firefighter from San Diego County, was killed while working on the incident December 14. A firefighter from Redding, California suffered a broken leg December 10 on the same fire.
An injured firefighter in Rose Valley near Ojai is carried to a waiting Ventura County Fire Department Helicopter on the Thomas Fire. Photo by Ventura County FD.
A very large burnout operation is planned on the north side of the fire in the Sespe wilderness that will add 15,000 to 20,000 acres to the fire. Depending on cooperation of the weather, it will take three to four days to complete the project using aerial and ground ignition.
An unheard of number of firefighters are assigned to the blaze – 8,452. When there were over 5,000 working on the Rim Fire that burned into Yosemite National Park in 2013 we thought that was a huge number.
The fire has burned 270,500 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties since it started December 4. At this size it is the third largest in the recorded history of California, only about 3,000 less than the 273,246-acre Cedar Fire that burned into the suburbs of San Diego in 2003 destroying 2,820 structures and killing 15 people.
Updated total of homes and commercial structures destroyed: 1,558
Above: 3-D map of the west end of the Thomas Fire in the Santa Barbara and Montecito area showing the perimeter at 12:30 a.m. PST December 17, 2017.
(UPDATED at 1:46 a.m. PST December 17, 2017)
Firefighters on the 269,000-acre Thomas Fire in Southern California have had good days and bad days since it started December 4, but in an epic battle Saturday they saved hundreds of homes in the Montecito area east of Santa Barbara. The Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer referred to it as a “BIG firefight to hold their line”.
Here are conditions experienced by TCU strike team 9441C this morning. The strike team was successful in protecting the structures in the area and worked with Vallecito fire crews to help extinguish portions of #ThomasFire. pic.twitter.com/M2V9x49NnE
The Incident Management Team announced Sunday that the updated total of homes and commercial structures destroyed is 1,558.
The west end of the Thomas Fire is burning on the mountain slopes in the Los Padres National Forest above Santa Barbara and Montecito but it has worked its way out of the Forest to the periphery of Montecito.
Map of the west side of the Thomas Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 12:30 a.m. PST December 17, 2017. The white line was the perimeter on December 10. Click to enlarge.
The huge blaze is now the third largest in the recorded history of California.
The winds on the west end of the fire Sunday will be out of the southwest or northwest and relatively light, but the east side could experience strong Santa Ana wind conditions — northeast winds of 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph while humidities will lower to 10 to 15 percent. The entire area is under a Red Flag Warning.
Map of the Thomas Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 12:30 a.m. PST December 17, 2017. The white line was the perimeter on December 10. Click to enlarge.
Here are the latest stats from the Incident Management Team”
#ThomasFire– A Bombardier 415 Superscooper makes a water drop Sunday morning on hot spots along the hillside east of Gibraltar Road. pic.twitter.com/rPKp5asdDA
CAL FIRE has released the name of the firefighter that was killed on the Thomas Fire in Southern California today.
CAL FIRE officials hold a press conference after the death of firefighter Cory Iverson in the Thomas Fire.
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(Originally published at 3:26 p.m. MST December 14, 2017)
A firefighter from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was killed today while battling the huge Thomas Fire in Southern California. The family has been notified but no details have been released except that the victim was a male Engineer from the San Diego County unit.
“I am very saddened to report that a firefighter fatality has occurred on the Thomas Incident,” Chief Ken Pimlott, the director of CAL FIRE, said in a statement. “The incident is still unfolding, but in this world of fast moving information, it is important to me that only factual information be shared. To that end, I can confirm a fatality of a CAL FIRE Engineer from the San Diego Unit has occurred. IMT 4, CAL FIRE Local 2881, and Southern Region leadership are working to support the Unit and his family, who have been notified.
“More details will be made available as they are confirmed.”
Our sincere condolences go out to the Engineer’s family, friends, and co-workers.
Since the Thomas Fire started on December 4 it has burned 242,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. A few days after the fire started a civilian was killed in a vehicle accident during the evacuation.
