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Californians: please remove our senile Governor - he will destroy us!!
California braces for high winds as wildfires continue | Daily Mail Online
Fire chief Ken Pimlott said the victim was apparatus engineer Cory Iverson, 32, a father-of-one whose wife is pregnant with a second child. Iverson was part of a crew battling the Thomas Fire, one of six major blazes currently raging in the state. The Thomas fire has grown to 379 square miles (981 sq km), becoming the fourth-largest in California's history. It has destroyed more than 900 properties, including 729 homes, two residential apartment blocks, two hotels and 18 other commercial properties, and scorched an area the size of New York and Paris combined.
Firefighters investigate a burning house, as the Thomas wildfire continues to burn in Carpinteria, California
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) did not give out any more details about Iverson's death, but it followed reports earlier in the day of a fire unit being overrun by the blaze near the town of Fillmore. Cal Fire said on Thursday that the Thomas blaze was 30% contained, up from 20% on Tuesday, but it continues to grow. The agency said 8,144 firefighters were tackling the blaze, using 1,004 fire engines, 59 water tenders and 80 bulldozers. More than 30 helicopters and six air tankers are reportedly involved in the fight.
Map showing the size of the area burned by California wildfires compared to area of London
Several thousand of those firefighters are prisoners. According to local news station KPBS, they are paid $2 per day and and additional $1 per hour when they are actively fighting fires. Steep slopes and rocky terrain have made it dangerous to tackle the flames. Efforts to combat the Thomas wildfire have already totalled more than $48 million (£36 million). Many local school districts have cancelled classes and will not reopen until after the new year. The blaze - named according to where it started, near the Thomas Aquinas College - is by far the largest of six major fires alight in the state. The Thomas fire shows no signs of letting up as gusts of wind up to 40mph (65km/h) and low humidity pose a continued challenge to firefighters.
'Fire is coming right at you'
Radio traffic between firefighters and their controllers on Thursday morning gave a glimpse of the terrifying reality of tackling this monster blaze. "Fire is coming right at you," said one message as units in the Fillmore area on the far eastern edge of the wildfire were ordered to pull back. The weather had apparently changed suddenly, posing a threat to the lives of the firefighters in the area. There were reports of a Mayday call, a rescue helicopter was scrambled and controllers attempted to contact a firefighter who was said to be "down" in the area. The confirmation that a fire engineer had died came quickly. The man's family have been told of his death.
California firefighter dies in blaze
Even as the Thomas fire, one of the state's largest and most destructive on record, charred more of Ventura County's hills and mountains over the weekend, firefighters expected a boost this week from improving weather conditions. The blaze and other area wildfires have been whipped up by strong and steady Santa Ana winds sweeping in from eastern California deserts. But the National Weather Service expects them to ease over the next two days. “With the forecasted winds, temperatures are expected to be cooler and relative humidity higher allowing for favorable firefighting efforts,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said in a statement.
45 percent contained
By early Monday, about 8,500 firefighters had contained 45 percent of the blaze that broke out on Dec. 4 and scorched 270,500 acres (109,000 hectares) along the scenic Pacific Coast northwest of Los Angeles. Its size is approaching that of the 2003 Cedar blaze in San Diego County, the largest wildfire in the state's history, which consumed 273,246 acres and caused 15 deaths. “We're just hoping to make it home for Christmas,” Bakersfield Fire Department Captain Tim Ortiz said Sunday at a Santa Barbara recreation center that is serving as a base camp for more than 3,000 firefighters.
A Bombardier 415 Super Scooper makes a water drop on hot spots along the hillside east of Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara, California
Firefighter honored
The Thomas Fire has destroyed more than 1,000 structures and threatened 18,000 others. Centered less than 100 miles (160 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, it has forced more than 104,000 people to evacuate or seek shelter. On Sunday, firefighters paid their respects during a funeral procession for firefighter Cory Iverson, 32, who died of smoke inhalation and burns on Thursday while battling flames near Fillmore in Ventura County. Firefighters lined the procession route from Ventura County to his home near San Diego.
Schools, roads closed
So far it has cost $130.9 million to battle the Thomas Fire, which has forced many schools and roads to close and created poor air quality throughout southern California. Evacuation orders were lifted on Sunday in several parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Five of the 20 most destructive fires on record have ravaged the state in 2017, according to Cal Fire. The cause of the Thomas fire remained under investigation.
Weakening Winds Aid Battle Against Colossal California Wildfire
Californians: please remove our senile Governor - he will destroy us!!
California braces for high winds as wildfires continue | Daily Mail Online
A deadly wildfire which has destroyed more than 700 homes in California is now the largest blaze in the state's recorded history. The Thomas fire has burned more than 1000sq km - an area greater than New York City, Brussels and Paris combined. The blaze broke out in Santa Paula in early December and has moved west towards the coast, one of several major fires in California in recent months. Thousands of firefighters have been deployed to bring it under control. Most of California's largest wildfires have been recorded this century. Scientists say the warming climate and spread of buildings into wilderness areas have contributed.
The Thomas fire slowly eclipsed previous record-setting blazes, finally overtaking the 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County, which burned 273,246 acres. It follows a series of deadly fires in the state's wine country in October that burned more than 10,000 homes and killed more than 40 people. The Thomas fire has destroyed more than 1,000 buildings and claimed the life of one firefighter - Cory Iverson, a father of one from San Diego whose wife was expecting another child.
The blaze is now moving slower because of rain and less wind. State fire agency Cal Fire says the Thomas blaze is now 65% contained and expected to continue to slow. Controlled burns by firefighters may cause some temporary expansion, it said. Seven of California's 10 largest fires on record have occurred since 2000. Two were in the 1970s and the earliest was in 1932 - the Matilija fire which, like the Thomas fire, burned through Ventura County.
California fire largest in state history
