Das Williams: Latest Thomas Fire Info

First I want to say that I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last email update. I’ve appreciated the messages I’ve gotten about how helpful these have been to keep you updated on the situation with the Thomas Fire. I make frequent updates on my Facebook so if you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to like my County Supervisor page. (Unless we’re already friends on Facebook, I’m at the limit of friends you’re allowed to have but I post the same info on my Supervisor page.)

As you can imagine, things have been quite chaotic since the fire came into Santa Barbara County in the early Saturday morning. My family was evacuated and although I was allowed to return home soon after, my wife and daughter have remained up north to stay out of the smoke. I’ve been driving back and forth between San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara County and Carpinteria to be with them and also be with my constituents through this difficult time.

I’ve also been working with our County staff to make sure the best and most up to date info is getting pushed out to the public as soon as possible so hopefully you’ve been able to get information from other sources. I’ve also been attending town halls and helping evacuees find shelter. Thanks to the generosity of our community, I’ve been able to coordinate accommodations for over 60 evacuated families. And that still doesn’t seem like enough.

The Thomas Fire has burned 242,500 acres to become the fourth largest fire in California history.

It’s heartbreaking that we lost a firefighter in the line of duty today. We have firefighters from all over the country here defending us and one of them has lost their life because of it. It is the boots on the ground that are going to beat this thing. Air support alone does not do it. So please remember to be grateful to the over 8,000 people we have out there. We can’t see them but they are what is protecting us and what has gotten us to 30% containment.