California's largest recorded wildfire winding down as firefighters gain upper hand

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The Thomas Fire became California's largest officially recorded fire on Dec. 22, 2017, when surpassed the 273,000-plus acre Cedar Fire. Wochit

Firefighters have gained nearly total containment of California’s largest-ever wildfire and are urging visitors to come to Santa Barbara and Ventura now that the danger has passed and smoke is abating.

“Businesses are open and eager to serve the public,” CalFire, the statewide firefighting agency, said in a statement Tuesday. “No forward progress of the fire is expected at this point.”

The Thomas Fire has burned an estimated 281,620 acres — more than 440 square miles — and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, from multimillion-dollar homes to telephone poles and garages. Another 280 structures have been damaged, firefighters said. The fire is now 88% contained.

The blaze broke out Dec. 4 and was whipped up by a days-long windstorm that drove  flames through some of the state’s ritziest neighborhoods, including Montecito, forcing celebrities to evacuate.  All mandatory evacuations have now been lifted and the fire's active presence has diminished in cities it once threatened from Fillmore to Santa Barbara.

The number of firefighters assigned to the blaze is dropping rapidly, a sure sign authorities believe they’ve turned the corner. Now, about 900 firefighters are assigned to the area, down from about 3,000 at the height of the assault.

More: Crews continue to battle Thomas Fire on Christmas Day

The largest previously recorded wildfire in state history was the 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego County, which burned 273,246 acres. The Cedar Fire had been recognized as the biggest California wildfire in terms of acreage since 1932. Some fires before that date undoubtedly were larger, but records are unreliable, according to state fire officials.

Coming on the heels of October's wine country wildfires, the milestone reaffirmed 2017 as the most destructive fire season on record in the state. Despite its size, the Thomas Fire has been less destructive than either the wine country fires or the Cedar Fire, which destroyed 2,820 structures and killed 15 people. The Thomas Fire has been associated with two deaths, including a firefighter. The fire's cause remains under investigation.

Contributing: The Ventura County Star