Thomas Fire Could Become Largest Wildfire In CA History

CALIFORNIA -- The Thomas Fire burning through Southern California after being ignited two weeks ago could become the largest wildfire in state history. As of Monday morning, the fire stood at 270,500 acres and was 45 percent contained.

Fire officials said the fire, which started in Santa Paula on Dec. 4 before burning through Ventura County, eventually reaching Santa Barbara County, may not be fully contained until next month. The largest California wildfire currently on record is the 2003 Cedar Fire, which burned for 12 days and was fully contained at 273,246 acres.

Over the weekend, crews held a five-county funeral procession for CalFire fighter Cory Iverson who died last week while battling the blaze in Fillmore. An autopsy showed the 32-year-old died from burns and smoke inhalation.

Iverson was the second death related to the Thomas Fire. Earlier in the month, 70-year-old Virginia Pesola of Ventura died as a result of the fire.

"The death involved a traffic incident during active fire evacuation," Ventura County Medical Examiner Christopher Young said in a press release. "The cause of death is blunt force injuries with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries."

As of Monday, fire officials said more than 1,000 structures were destroyed across two counties and 250 other structures were damaged. An estimated 18,000 structures remained threatened.

Officials said the fire has prompted the largest mobilization of crews with more than 8,400 firefighters battling the blaze. Another 900 engines and 34 helicopters were on the scene.

--Photo: In this Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, flames burn near power lines in Sycamore Canyon near West Mountain Drive in Montecito, Calif. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)

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