1:41
- ABC News
- December 12, 2017
Huge Calif. wildfire has burned 231,700 acres
The Thomas fire has also destroyed 794 structures and damaged about 190 others.
1:41
The blaze, which has burned wildly for a week, has prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
In Santa Barbara County alone, more than 30,000 residents were forced from their homes under evacuation warnings.
Photos: Wildfires continue to rage across Southern California
Perhaps most critical is that the Santa Ana winds persist, keeping firefighters struggling with gusts of 35 to 45 mph, Cal Fire officials confirmed.
However, in a promising turn, despite the fire's perimeter spreading over the weekend, the Thomas fire is now up to 20 percent contained -- up from Sunday evening.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/california-fires-9-ap-jt-171210_3x2_384.jpg\")
The state has spent more than $34 million on efforts to suppress the Thomas fire, which has knocked out electricity for thousands of area residents, authorities said.
#ThomasFire [update] Hwy 150 and Hwy 126, north of Santa Paula (Ventura County) is now 230,500 acres and 15% contained. Unified Command: CAL FIRE, @VCFD_PIO, @LosPadresNF and @VenturaCityFD . https://t.co/vfLtDXYjzO pic.twitter.com/ckP1WbDG6q
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) December 11, 2017
Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula was identified Friday as the first known victim of the fires. She died in a car crash as she evacuated Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.
\"[We're] facing a new reality in the state,\" California Gov. Jerry Brown said Saturday as he surveyed damage in Ventura County. \"It's a horror and a horror we need to recover from.\"
He said drought and climate change have exacerbated the wildfires.
From now on in California, Brown said, fires are going to be more \"intense\" and a greater danger to lives and property.
\"Individuals need to come together to make our communities livable,\" he said.
ABC News' Tara Fowler contributed to this report.
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/US/massive-california-wildfire-now-largest-states-history/story?id=51710805","legacySlug":"/news/story/massive-california-wildfire-now-largest-states-history-51710805","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"02:42","publishDate":"12-12-2017","updatedTime":"03:02","updatedDate":"12-12-2017","socialImage":{"alt":"Firefighters knock down flames as they advance on homes atop Shepherd Mesa Road in Carpinteria, Calif., Dec. 10, 2017. ","credit":"Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Sports/california-fires-8-ap-jt-171210_4x3_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"12/12/2017 02:42:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":51710805,"headline":"Huge Calif. wildfire has burned 231,700 acres","mediaAssetTitle":"ALLEN_CA_wildfires_171211","description":"The Thomas fire has also destroyed 794 structures and damaged about 190 others. ","duration":"1:41","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/12/171211_wn_gutman_644_update_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["133741861","133707237","133144263"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"June 10, 2026","headline":"NASA unveils Artemis III crew","section":"News","slug":"/video/133741861","id":"133741861","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: NASA unveils Artemis III crew","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: NASA unveils Artemis III crew","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"June 9, 2026","headline":"Flash flood threat as dangerous weather on the move","section":"News","slug":"/video/133707237","id":"133707237","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Flash flood threat as dangerous weather on the move","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Flash flood threat as dangerous weather on the move","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"May 20, 2026","headline":"Fashion mogul’s son arrested in father’s fatal fall","section":"News","slug":"/video/133144263","id":"133144263","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fashion mogul’s son arrested in father’s fatal fall","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fashion mogul’s son arrested in father’s fatal fall","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Huge Calif. wildfire has burned 231,700 acres","description":"The Thomas fire has also destroyed 794 structures and damaged about 190 others. ","duration":"1:41","uploadDate":"12-12-2017","publication":"12-12-2017","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/12/171211_wn_gutman_644_update_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/12/171211_wn_gutman_644_update_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/massive-california-wildfire-now-largest-states-history-51710805"}},"playlist":[{"id":"134033809","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"78356537","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133929295","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133958398","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133882828","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133810954","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133779647","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133810835","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133749799","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133777519","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133748258","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133730535","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133712423","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133694181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133688738","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616358","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616342","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133522899","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133584123","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133579397","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Huge Calif. wildfire has burned 231,700 acres","pubTime":"21:42","pubDate":"12-11-2017","modTime":"22:02","modDate":"12-11-2017","taxonomyTags":"none","id":51710805,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Huge Calif. wildfire has burned 231,700 acres","mediaAssetTitle":"ALLEN_CA_wildfires_171211","videoId":51710805,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/massive-california-wildfire-now-largest-states-history-51710805"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/51710805","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/51710805","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};