The Thomas Fire currently burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties now has the dubious distinction of becoming California's fifth largest wildfire at 236,000 acres. The 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego County still holds the record at 273,246 acres burned. The 2007 Laguna Witch Fire and 1970 Laguna Fire, both in San Diego, are also among the ten largest fires in California history.
Firefighters have been battling the massive fire in Ventura for the eighth day in a row and is 25 percent contained. The extremely low humidity has made conditions ripe for the wildfire to spread, even as firefighting aircraft continue to drop massive amounts of water on the blaze. Some 204 million gallons of water and 1.2 million gallons of fire retardant has been dropped so far according to Cal Fire officials.
Some seven thousand firefighters are currently working on the Thomas Fire with more relief coming as other fires in Southern California are contained.
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