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Tag: Thomas Fire

Thomas Fire burns into Ventura, California

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

The fire has blackened about 45,000 acres and destroyed 150 structures.

The map above shows the approximate location of the Thomas Fire at 1:06 a.m. PST December 5, 2017 based on data from a satellite.

(UPDATED at 3:05 p.m. PST December 5, 2017)

Firefighters now estimate that the Thomas Fire which burned from Santa Paula to Ventura, California has now covered about 50,000 acres.

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(Updated at 8:39 a.m. PST December 5, 2017. We will update this article on Tuesday as more information becomes available.)

The Thomas Fire has spread into the north side of Ventura, California, burning tens of thousands of acres. After it started Monday near Thomas Aquinas College very strong Santa Ana winds pushed it across Highway 150 close to Santa Paula and it then ran about 15 miles southwest to the edge of Ventura. About 27,000 people have been evacuated.

An update from Ventura County officials at 8 am Tuesday reported it had blackened 45,000 acres and destroyed about 150 structures. The areas of concern include Upper Ojai, Santa Paula, and Ventura.

The strong winds have made it impossible for fixed wing aircraft to fly low and slow near the ground as they have to do while dropping retardant or water. However early Tuesday morning helicopters were able to effectively work in some areas near Ventura. If the wind decreases Tuesday morning officials hope to have both types of aircraft available to assist firefighters on the ground.

Electrical outages have affected 260,000 homes and the lack of power at some water pumping facilities has left some fire hydrants dry.

Ventura County has more information about areas under evacuation orders.

(Articles on Wildfire Today about the Thomas Fire are tagged “Thomas Fire“)

Thomas Fire causes evacuations near Santa Paula, California

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 3 Comments on Thomas Fire causes evacuations near Santa Paula, California

(UPDATED at 12:10 a.m. PST December 5, 2017)

map Thomas Fire
Map showing the very rough approximate location of the Thomas Fire northeast of Ventura, California, at 11:30 p.m. PST December 4, 2017. Click to enlarge.

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(UPDATED at 11:31 p.m. PST December 4, 2017)

ABC7 is showing on their live video that the Thomas Fire has spread from Santa Paula, California southwest to the outskirts of Ventura. As of 10:40 p.m. PST the fire had reached Hall Canyon and Sexton Canyon Roads north of Ventura. It is moving toward Highway 33.

(For the most current information about the Thomas Fire, visit https://wildfiretoday.com/tag/thomas-fire/)

Anyone between Highways 150 and 33 or north of Foothill Road should be prepared to evacuate. Much of that area is already on fire.

The wind driven fire is launching burning embers very far ahead to the west and southwest that are starting spot fires ahead of the main fire which then grow quickly.

Our unofficial tracking shows that the fire is approximately 12 miles long. Many areas have lost electrical power, including portions of Santa Barbara.

Approximately 30 mobile homes off Wheeler Canyon Road north of Foothill Road have burned, according to ABC7.

Ventura County Fire Department estimates the Thomas Fire has burned about 10,000 acres.

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(Originally published at 10:24 p.m. PST December 4, 2017. We will update this article as new information is available. )

A wind-driven wildfire is causing evacuations north of Santa Paula, California 8 to 10 miles northeast of Ventura. At 9:41 p.m. Monday Ventura County Fire Department officials said the fire was about 5,000 acres, and is spreading quickly. They expect it to reach the city of Ventura Monday night.


Multiple structures have burned,  but how many is unknown.

Santa Ana winds that are affecting much of the coastal and mountain areas of Southern California have pushed the fire at least five miles to the west across Highway 150 and at 9:30 p.m. PST had reached Wheeler Canyon Road where structures are reportedly burning. Portions of the fire have also reached Aliso Canyon Road.

Weather stations in the Santa Paula area recorded wind gusts of 17 to 28 mph out of the east with relative humidity of 7 to 16 percent.

We put together the following map which is very unofficial, based on live video from ABC7.

map Thomas Fire Santa Paula
General location of the Thomas Fire at 9:30 p.m. PST December 4, 2017. Wildfire Today. Click to enlarge.

The Ventura County website has details about evacuations, but occasionally the site is down, probably due to heavy web traffic.

radar smoke thomas fire wildfire
Radar image showing smoke from the Thomas Fire at 9:15 PST December 4, 2017.

The images below are screenshots from the ABC7 live video.

Thomas Fire
Thomas Fire at 10:04 p.m. PST December 4, 2017. KTLA.
Thomas Fire
Thomas Fire at 8:59 p.m. PST December 4, 2017. The road is Highway 150 north of Santa Paula. KTLA.