Wildfire — Santa Barbara County South Coast, California

2017-12-04 to 2017-12-31 · Santa Barbara County South Coast, California

Event narrative

The Thomas Fire ignited in early December in the coastal valleys of Ventura county, near Thomas Aquinas College. At the time of ignition, fuel conditions were at record dry levels for early December. The combination of gusty Santa Ana winds and the dry fuel conditions allowed the fire to spread quickly across sections of Ventura county. The fire eventually moved into southern Santa Barbara county. The fire was not officially contained until early January 2018. In all, the Thomas Fire burned 281,893 acres, making it the largest recorded fire in the state of California. During the height of the fire, one firefighter died when he was burned over.

Wider weather episode

Strong surface high pressure building in the Great Basin generated strong and gusty Santa Ana winds across sections of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. North to northeast wind gusts up to 73 MPH were reported. During this event, the Thomas Fire ignited across Ventura county, eventually spreading into Santa Barbara county.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 729840. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.