What to Know
- As of Friday morning, 132,000 acres have been scorched.
- The blaze is 10 percent contained.
- Mandatory evacuations are in place, adding residents in the Fillmore area.
This article is no longer being updated. For the latest information on the Thomas Fire, click here.
The Thomas Fire grew to 143,000 acres on Friday in steep terrain of Ventura County as firefighters worked to contain the 16th largest fire in state history.
Some 50,000 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders as the area of Fillmore was added to the growing list.
The fire, which ignited Monday at 6:30 p.m., destroyed 532 structures and damaged 282 homes, leaving residents homeless as 3,528 firefighters struggled to control the fast-moving flames.
The fire, fanned by a high-pressure ridge that blocked any rain activity from reaching the West Coast of California, continued to burn on the north and east side of Highway 150 and west side of Highway 30.
Along the southern front, crews were mopping up the fire and were planning on canceling evacuations for Ventura Thursday evening.
After declaring states of for fires in Southern California, Gov. Jerry Brown planned to survey damage, meet with residents impacted by the fires and join state, local and federal officials at the command post in Ventura County Saturday.
He requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration for federal assistance for the fires burning in Southern California, following emergency proclamations issued this week for San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
