15 Dec 2017

California firefighter dies as Thomas blaze rages

6:51 pm on 15 December 2017

A California firefighter has been killed by a wildfire burning across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Flames near the US 101 highway in Ventura County.

Flames near the US 101 highway in Ventura County. Photo: AFP

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.

Mr 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 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.

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 percent contained, up from 20 percent on Tuesday, but it continues to grow.

The agency said 8144 firefighters were tackling the blaze, using 1004 fire engines, 59 water tenders and 80 bulldozers. More than 30 helicopters and six air tankers are reportedly involved in the fight.

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 US$48 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 65km/h and low humidity pose a continued challenge to firefighters.

- BBC

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