Thomas Fire: 173,000 acres

Last night (early this morning) the Thomas Fire crossed the Santa Barbara County line and is now burning in the backcountry. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations have been isssued for parts of Carpinteria, Summerland and Montecito. According to CalFire, today’s goal is to hold the fire east of hwy 154:

• 173,000 acres
• 15% contained
• 751 structures destroyed
• 162 structures damaged
• 1,500 structures threatened
• 4,500+ firefighters
• 30 helicopters
• 6 fixed-wing aircrafts

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is operating business as usual with generators on, for uninterrupted service during intermittent power outages affecting other areas throughout the county.

Live continuous coverage of the fire is being aired on KEYT Channel 3.