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Thomas Fire grows to more than 400 square miles
The sun, a deep red/orange from the smoke from the Thomas Fire, sets over an agricultural field in Santa Paula, California, December 12, 2017.
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ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
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Updated 6:27 p.m.
Map | Evacuations | School closures
The fourth largest fire in state history grew Friday to 256,600 acres — more than 400 square miles — with 35 percent containment. That's only 1,314 acres away from it becoming the third largest.
The Thomas Fire has raged for 11 days in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, destroying at least 700 homes, forcing thousands to evacuate and on Thursday claiming the life of a San Diego firefighter.
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Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, 32, died while he was on the fire line. Officials have not released any further details about the circumstances of his death. Iverson is survived by his 2-year-old daughter and his wife, who is expecting their second child.
Cal Fire's Scott McLean said Iverson's death was devastating.
"I mean, this was an individual who passed away on the fire lines protecting life, safety... This will be definitely a trying time," McLean told KPCC.
Last week, a 70-year-old woman was killed in a car crash while she was trying to get out of an evacuation area.
At least six major wildfires have broken out since last Monday, and all were fueled by a combination of unseasonably warm temperatures, high winds and low humidity.
A Red Flag warning was first issued on Dec. 2 and has since been extended four times. The National Weather Service says it's the longest stretch for such a warning to be in effect for Southern California since the agency started keeping track in 2004. The period of elevated fire danger was set to expired at 10 a.m. Friday.
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More than 8,000 people are still working to contain the sprawling fire.
Evacuations
Mandatory evacuations
Santa Barbara County
- North of Highway 192 to East Camino Cielo between Highway 150 and Mission Canyon Road
- Hot Springs Road to Buena Vista Road, from Highway 192 north to East Camino Cielo
- Buena Vista east to the County line and north of Highway 192 (E. Valley Road), to include the 900 block of Park Lane east.
- Carpinteria area east of Toro Canyon Road east to Highway 150, north of Highway 192 to Camino Cielo.
- Carpinteria area east of intersection of Casitas Pass Road & Highway 192, north of Highway 192 and west of the county line.
- SR-192 north to East Camino Cielo between Toro Canyon Road and Linden Avenue
- Shepherd Mesa, Gobernador Canyon.
City of Ventura
- North of Foothill Road from Cobblestone Road to Kimball Road
Unincorporated Ventura County
- Residents and day visitors of Rose Valley
Unincorporated areas of Fillmore
- The area of Hall Road to the west, Sespe Creek to the east, Fillmore City limits to the south, and Los Padres National Forest boundary to the north
- Sespe Creek to the west, Burson Ranch to the east, Fillmore City limits to the south, and Los Padres National Forest boundary to the north.
Voluntary evacuations
Santa Barbara County
- North of Highway 192 between Mission Canyon and Highway 154, south of East Camino Cielo
- South of Highway 192, east of Mission Canyon, west of Hot Springs, north of APS, Salinas Street and Highway 101 to Hot Springs
- East of Hot Springs, south of Highway 192 to the ocean, west of Padaro Lane
Evacuation centers
- Ventura County Fairgrounds at Miners Building, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura
- Oxnard College Gymnasium, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard
- University of California-Santa Barbara Recreation Center, 516 Ocean Rd, Santa Barbara
Animal evacuations
- Ventura County: Call (866) 387-8911 for requests for assistance in animal evacuations.
- Santa Barbara County: Call (805) 681-4332 for requests for assistance in animal evacuations.
School closures
Ventura County
- ACE Charter High School, Dec. 15
- Briggs Elementary, Dec. 15
- CAPE Charter School, Dec. 15
- Fillmore Unified, Dec. 15-Jan. 7
- Hueneme Elementary, Dec. 15-Jan. 2
- Mesa Union Elementary, Dec. 15-Dec. 17
- Mupu Elementary, Dec. 15-Jan. 7
- Ocean View Elementary, Dec. 15-Dec. 17
- Ojai Unified, Dec. 15-Jan. 1
- Oxnard Elementary, Dec. 15-Jan. 7
- Oxnard Union HSD, Dec. 15
- Pleasant Valley, Dec. 15
- Rio Elementary, Dec. 15-Dec. 17
- Santa Clara Elementary, Dec. 15-Dec. 17
- Santa Paula Unified, Dec. 15-Dec. 17
- Somis Union School District, Dec. 15
- Valley Oak Charter School, Dec. 15
- VCOE-operated school sites and classrooms, partially open
- Ventura Charter School, Dec. 15-Jan. 7
- Ventura Unified, Dec. 15-Jan. 7
- Vista Real Charter School, Dec. 15-Jan. 1
Santa Barbara County
- Ballard
- Buellton
- Carpinteria Unified
- Cold Spring
- College
- Goleta Union
- Hope
- Lompoc Unified
- Los Olivos
- Los Robles High School (Los Prietos Boys Camp)
- Montecito Union
- Santa Barbara City College
- Santa Barbara Unified
- Santa Ynez Valley Union High
- Solvang
- Vista del Mar
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