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Deadly California Wildfire Grows; High Winds Forecast

by Associated Press

   SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA --

   Calming winds Friday gave firefighters a chance to gain ground against
   a huge wildfire in coastal mountains northwest of Los Angeles, but the
   blaze continued to surge west, endangering thousands of homes, as
   forecasts called for a renewal of gusty winds.

   The so-called Thomas Fire, the fourth-largest in California history,
   was 35 percent contained Friday night after sweeping across 400 square
   miles (about 1,036 square kilometers) of Ventura and Santa Barbara
   counties since it erupted Dec. 4.

   It has burned more than 1,000 buildings, including more than 750 homes.
   Another 18,000 buildings are in jeopardy, including mansions in the
   wealthy enclave of Montecito.

   Between Thursday night and Friday morning, the blaze claimed another
   3,000 acres as it fed on brush and timber killed by California's long
   drought or a week of hot, dry weather.

   Santa Barbara has had only a tiny amount of rain since Oct. 1, the
   start of the new water year, and is more than 3 inches (7.6
   centimeters) below normal to date.

   Firefighters continued to carve firebreaks above the communities of
   Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Summerland and Montecito, and state fire
   officials said evacuations would be called as needed as flames
   advanced.

   Eastern flank of fire

   Another focus of firefighting was on the eastern flank in canyons where
   a state firefighter was killed Thursday near the agricultural town of
   Fillmore.

   The death of Cory Iverson, 32, was announced by Chief Ken Pimlott of
   the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection but he
   released no information about the circumstances, citing an ongoing
   investigation by an accident review team.

   Iverson was an engineer with a strike team from the San Diego area and
   had been with Cal Fire since 2009. He is survived by his wife, who is
   pregnant, and a 2-year-old daughter, as well as his parents and other
   family.

   'Extreme fire danger

   The National Weather Service forecast extreme fire danger or "red flag"
   conditions through at least Saturday evening, with winds gusting to 40
   mph in the Santa Barbara County mountains where the fire is burning.
   Firefighters were facing first northerly "sundowner" winds through the
   night that could turn into northeasterly Santa Ana winds, driving the
   flames in another direction.

   Everything about the fire was massive, from a footprint larger than
   that of many cities to the sheer scale of destruction that cremated
   entire neighborhoods or the legions attacking it: more than 8,000
   firefighters from nearly a dozen states, aided by 32 helicopters and 78
   bulldozers.

   Firefighting costs were approaching $89 million.

   Meanwhile, firefighters continued to deal with the loss of their own.
   All 17 of the firefighters on Cory Iverson's five-engine strike team
   were pulled off the fire lines after his death.

   On Thursday night, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean called for a
   moment of silence during a meeting for Fillmore residents.

   "As I was up in the canyon and I watched his fire brethren remove his
   flag-draped body from the canyon in the hills above where we sit right
   here, I couldn't help but think about his pregnant wife and his young
   daughter who will never see their husband and father again," Dean said.

   It was the second death linked to the fire. The body of a 70-year-old
   woman was found in a crashed car on an evacuation route last week.