California firefighters had to bid farewell to one of their fellow fighters after he died in the middle of his duty to contain the Thomas fire. Fire Engineer Cory David Iverson, 32, is the first firefighter fatality in what is believed to be one of the worst wildfires in history.
As of Friday, firefighters are able to contain 35 percent of Thomas fire that is wreaking havoc in the Ventura County. Iverson was in the middle of driving a fire along the east flank of the Thomas Fire when he was pronounced dead on Dec. 14.
Iverson left behind his wife, his 2-year-old daughter, and his unborn child. His friends, families, and fellow firefighters held a procession on the day of his death to honor his years of service. Iverson had been with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire since 2009.
Cal Fire officials released a message via Twitter for their fallen comrade. The post reads, "Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of Cal Fire Fire Engineer Cory Iverson of the @CALFIRESANDIEGO Unit. Please keep his family and fellow firefighters in your thoughts, as we all grieve this devastating loss."
The Thomas fire continues to burden firefighters due to its size. All other wildfires are either contained or about to be. Lilac fire in the San Diego County is 99 percent contained, and the Coast fire across the Santa Barbara is fully contained.
According to a Los Angeles Times article, Thomas fire might go down in history as the largest wildfire in California. The largest wildfire in record is the Santiago Canyon fire back in 1889 that scorched over 300,000 acres.
The Thomas fire has been ablaze for almost two weeks now, since Dec. 4. Firefighters are having a hard time battling the fire due to dry environment conditions and high winds.
