Despite swallowing large swaths of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties over the last week and a half, the Thomas Fire has slowed down — for now.
An incident report published 7 a.m. Thursday morning puts the fire at 242,500 acres and 30 percent containment. Its burn area is now larger than the Zaca Fire’s, which torched 240,207 acres in 2007, and the blaze has officially become the fourth largest fire in California’s recorded history.
Investigators have still not determined a cause. As of Thursday morning, there are 8,144 firefighters on the front lines, and Cal Fire said costs have reached $74.7 million.