December 4, 2017:

A quick-moving wildfire began north of Santa Paula, south of Thomas Aquinas College. Due to the unusually strong Santa Ana winds of over 60mph, the fire spread fast, reaching the city of Ventura, where over 500 residences were destroyed overnight. It is the largest wildfire in California history. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. —(NWCG)

Impact:

• 2 confirmed fatalities
• 281,893 acres – 92% contained as of 01/03/2018
• 1,063 Structures Destroyed, 280 Structures Damaged

Related Resources:

• Wildfire, Wildlands, and People: Understanding and Preparing for Wildfire in the Wildland-Urban Interface
• Wildfire Management: Federal Funding and Related Statistics
• Fires and Wildfires Information Guide
• HSDL In Focus: Wildfires
• HSDL search results for Wildfire and Wildland Urban Interface

Photo: (Credit: NASA) False-color satellite image of the Thomas Fire’s burn scar and active flames, in northern Ventura, on December 7, 2017.