California wildfire largest since 1932: Cal Fire

A California wildfire that firefighters have battled for over two weeks is now the state’s largest since at least 1932, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Friday.

The so-called ‘Thomas Fire’ has burned 273,400 acres (70,172 hectares), destroyed 1,063 structures and cost more than $177 million since it broke out on December 4.

More than 2,800 fire personnel are battling the blaze, which is now 65 percent contained.  

Ventura City Fire apparatus moves in position for structure protection during the Thomas fire as efforts to battle the Thomas Fire were under way in Ventura, California, December 5, 2017

A tree and electrical transformer explode as efforts to battle the Thomas Fire were under way in Ojai, California December 5, 2017

A tree and electrical transformer explode as efforts to battle the Thomas Fire were under way in Ojai, California December 5, 2017

In this Dec. 6, 2017, file photo, a motorists on Highway 101 watches flames from the Thomas fire leap above the roadway north of Ventura, California

In this Dec. 6, 2017, file photo, a motorists on Highway 101 watches flames from the Thomas fire leap above the roadway north of Ventura, California

San Diego-based Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson died fighting the Thomas Fire in Ventura County on December 14. 

The Thomas Fire is now even larger than the 2003 Cedar Fire, which burned 273,246 acres.

The fire previously topped Cal Fire’s list of the top 20 largest wildfires in California, the oldest entry on which dates to 1932.

This Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017 false-color image from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellite via NASA, shows a brown burn scar from the Thomas fire north of the city of Ventura, California, at bottom center

This Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017 false-color image from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite via NASA, shows a brown burn scar from the Thomas fire north of the city of Ventura, California, at bottom center

However, larger fires may predate the list, including the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 that reportedly burned 300,000 acres.

‘There were fires with significant acreage burned in years prior to 1932, but those records are less reliable, and this list is meant to give an overview of the large fires in more recent times,’ Cal Fire said.

This year is the worst on record for wildfire devastation in California.

Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk