California Fire Engineer Dies Fighting Thomas Fire

VENTURA, CA – San Diego Fire Engineer Cory Iverson has died while fighting the Thomas Fire, according to Cal Fire Capt. Jon Heggie.

Fire officials gained ground on the massive fire Wednesday morning with containment reaching 30 percent. As of Thursday, the fire stood at 242,500 acres. More than 8,000 firefighters from around the country and nearly 1,000 fire engines are working to battle the blaze.

"Please join me in keeping our fallen firefighter and his loved ones in yoru prayers, and all the responders on the front lines in your thoughts as they continue to work under extremely challenging conditions," Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE Director, wrote in a statement.

The wildfire broke out more than one week ago and quickly scorched through Ventura County before tearing into Santa Barbara County this week. It forced tens of thousands of evacuations and killed one woman in Ventura County, officials said.

More than 900 structures were destroyed and another 200 were damaged, as of the latest update Wednesday by CAL FIRE. Another 18,000 structures were threatened. The Thomas Fire is the fifth largest wildfire in California's history, and is seven times the size of San Francisco, officials say.

Fire officials have begun investigating the cause of the Thomas Fire and others that have burned through Southern California during the state's worst fire season in history.

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Patch staffer Hoa Quach contributed to this post; Photo: In this photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, fire burns canyons and ridges above Bella Vista Drive near Romero Canyon as the fight to contain a wildfire continues in Montecito, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)