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Wildfire Still Raging In Southern California Is Third Largest In State History

The Thomas fire has become the third largest wildfire in modern California history since it began raging two weeks ago.

The fire, which started on Dec. 4, had scorched more than 270,000 acres in Southern California’s Ventura and Santa Barbara counties as of Monday.

Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency, has a list of the largest fires in the state since the early 1930s. The Thomas fire ― which has destroyed more than 1,000 structures and led to over 200,000 people evacuating in its first week ― began climbing the list of historic fires last week, and officially broke into the top three over the weekend.

The fire was only 45 percent contained as of Monday morning, and the blaze threatened 18,000 structures. Officials are not expecting full containment of the fire until early January, even though weather conditions ― cooler temperatures and higher humidity in some areas ― are currently favorable for firefighters, said public information officer Joe Rosa.

The Thomas fire could potentially overtake the largest fire on record in the state: a 273,000-acre fire in San Diego in 2003.

“Anything is possible,” Rosa told HuffPost on Monday. “We can’t really predict what it’s going to do ― but it’s only 3,000 acres before it eclipses the No. 1 spot, so it’s possible.”

“As the fire continues to grow day by day, every day is a guessing game on how many acres are going to burn,” Rosa added. “In the event we get a windy Wednesday like they’re predicting, we may have to engage in more evacuations. We definitely don’t want people to think this thing is out.”

Fighting the Thomas fire has so far cost over $100 million. More than 8,000 firefighters have been battling the blazes, and 32-year-old Cal Fire engineer Corey Iverson died last week.

“Please do not take your eyes off it. We are still working diligently to control it,” Rosa said. “Listen to the warnings, let us do our jobs. Don’t put your guards down now.”

This has been a devastating, record-breaking year for fires in California: Cal Fire reports that more than twice as many acres burned in the state this year as they did in 2016 ― with more than 6,877 fires burning over 500,000 acres from Jan. 1 to Dec. 10, 2017. The 2017 figures eclipse the state’s five-year average of 4,770 fires burning over 200,000 acres per year.

“This is one of the worst fire years,” Cal Fire deputy chief Scott McLean told HuffPost earlier this month. “Due to the severity of the fires, the growth rate and speed of the fires, and unfortunately, I’ve never seen this amount of death.

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Thick smoke billows along Foothill Boulevard as the Creek Fire burns heavy brush in Los Angeles' Sylmar neighborhood on Dec. 5, 2017.
Thick smoke billows along Foothill Boulevard as the Creek Fire burns heavy brush in Los Angeles' Sylmar neighborhood on Dec. 5, 2017.
A structure burns on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles' Shadow Hills neighborhood.
A structure burns on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles' Shadow Hills neighborhood.
Wearing his Christmas garb, Justin Ekback stands in front of one of the multi-million dollar homes destroyed in Ventura County by a wildfire on Dec. 5.
Wearing his Christmas garb, Justin Ekback stands in front of one of the multi-million dollar homes destroyed in Ventura County by a wildfire on Dec. 5.
A firefighter gets into position to battle the Creek wildfire as a house is engulfed in flames in Shadow Hills.
A firefighter gets into position to battle the Creek wildfire as a house is engulfed in flames in Shadow Hills.
Local residents react as numerous homes burn on a hillside in Ventura County.
Local residents react as numerous homes burn on a hillside in Ventura County.
Amanda Leon and her husband, Johnny Leon, watch as firefighters fight to save homes in Ventura County.
Amanda Leon and her husband, Johnny Leon, watch as firefighters fight to save homes in Ventura County.
Carolyn Potter tries to save her house from the flames as she throws dirt on her fence in Ventura County's Casita Springs community.
Carolyn Potter tries to save her house from the flames as she throws dirt on her fence in Ventura County's Casita Springs community.
Emergency crews block a roadway as flames spread in Ventura County.
Emergency crews block a roadway as flames spread in Ventura County.
Kayla Jackson, 15, cradles one-day old puppies as she rescues them from a friend's house in the Little Mountain area of San Bernardino County.
Kayla Jackson, 15, cradles one-day old puppies as she rescues them from a friend's house in the Little Mountain area of San Bernardino County.
The Creek wildfire burns into the night in the Shadow Hills neighborhood.
The Creek wildfire burns into the night in the Shadow Hills neighborhood.
Horses are led from danger in Shadow Hills.
Horses are led from danger in Shadow Hills.
A structure is fully engulfed by flames in Shadow Hills.
A structure is fully engulfed by flames in Shadow Hills.
Cars drive around Lake Casitas in Venture County as the Thomas wildfire crests in the surrounding mountains.
Cars drive around Lake Casitas in Venture County as the Thomas wildfire crests in the surrounding mountains.
A house burns along the path of the Thomas wildfire in Casita Springs.
A house burns along the path of the Thomas wildfire in Casita Springs.
A real estate sign was barely touched by a fire that burned a home to the ground in Ventura County.
A real estate sign was barely touched by a fire that burned a home to the ground in Ventura County.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.