Thomas Fire burning near Ventura, thousands evacuated
By Raiza Giorgi · Tue Dec 05 2017
[gallery columns="5" ids="4038,4037,4036,4035,4033,4032,4031,4030,4015,4013"]
By Raiza Giorgi
Photos and video by Daniel Dreifuss
*Update as of Wednesday Dec. 6 - The Thomas Fire is at 65,000 acres and still zero containment, according to fire officials. The structures destroyed remains at an estimate of 150, however thousands more are threatened. *
In a matter of hours the Thomas Fire took thousands of residents in Ventura County by surprise overnight when the winds increased growing a relatively small brush fire that has now burned more than 50,500 acres and no containment, according to Ventura County Fire officials.
Santa Ynez Valley native Shannon Foster and her family who have recently moved to Ventura area to take care of family, were awakened at 1 a.m. with orders to evacuate. She just returned home from the hospital after having her second daughter last weekend. The Foster's along with 27,000 other residents have been evacuated.
Greg Smith returned to his home in Ventura in hopes that there would be something left as the Thomas Fire raged out of control Monday evening. Him and his girlfriend decided after seeing the flames getting closer to their neighborhood it was a good idea to start packing up the things that mattered most to them.
“I looked up to the hills behind us and saw a red glow, it was time to pack up. I knocked on everybody’s doors and made sure they were on their way out. We helped our landlord next door and his wife and helped them,” Smith said.
It was 10:30 p.m. on Monday evening and they drove to Ventura High School and they watched their house burn until 3 a.m. They left and stayed with a friend. After only being in the neighborhood since July of this year they rented the house from her boss who has lived in the area for 47 years.
Watch his incredible story here.
“This is one of the worst fires we have seen in a long time,” said Ventura County Fire Cpt. Stan Ziegler.
“When daylight comes, we have eight fixed-wing and several helicopters ordered,” fire officials said in a press briefing in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The fire started just before 7 p.m. Monday along Highway 150 in the 1000 block of Ojai Road in the vicinity of Thomas Aquinas College and Steckel Park.
Fire officials are estimating roughly 150 buildings, from residences to apartment complexes and other structures, have been lost. As of Tuesday evening more than 50,500 acres have been burned and the fire has spread town to Highway 101 west of Ventura. Flames could be seen in the area of Seacliff Drive and Faria Beach. The highway remains open.
There is a mandatory curfew for residents from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
"The City of Ventura understands and appreciates the concern for the residents who have been displaced by the Thomas Fire. Under the extreme current conditions, it is impossible to allow residents to reenter areas that have been damaged by or are still experiencing erratic fire conditions," city officials released.