Das Williams: Latest Thomas Fire Info

by Community Contributor • December 14, 2017 • Comments Off

Dear Friend,

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.

We’re expecting Santa Ana winds tonight and sundowners tomorrow – two of the most significant weather patterns that could change the current situation with the fire. Luckily, our firefighters have beat it back as far away from the front country as they can to protect homes. We are currently holding at 8 homes and 1 out building destroyed and 1 home and 2 out buildings damaged in Santa Barbara County. The fire is currently burning at the top of San Ysidro Canyon, well within the mandatory evacuation zone that goes all the way to Mission Canyon, above Foothill. If you haven’t already, please bookmark our County’s interactive evacuation map, which also features the perimeter of the fire so you can see where it is in relation to you. The map gets updated frequently and as evacuation orders change, so will it.

The biggest threat in Santa Barbara continues to be air quality, which is still considered “unhealthy,”. Make sure you are always wearing a N95 mask out doors. The County continues to give out masks. You can get updates on mask distribution sites and any other info on the County website.

The fire continues to burn in Ventura County and is currently active in Rose Valley near Ojai and also near Fillmore. There will be a community meeting at 5pm in Ojai at Summit Elementary School (12525 N Ojai Rd) and a meeting in Fillmore at 7:30pm at Fillmore Middle School (543 A St). There will also be our daily community meeting at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara at 4pm today.

I assume everyone on my email list is signed up for this by now but in case you have not yet done so, please sign up for the Santa Barbara County or Ventura County emergency alert system.

Stay safe and appreciative of our firefighters!

Das

Paid for by Das Williams for Supervisor 2016 ID #1376702

Not paid for at taxpayers expense.