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Number Of Houses Destroyed By Brush Fire In Ventura, Santa Barbara Counties Tops 640

A Downtown Ventura house gutted by the Thomas Fire on December 4th

We’re getting more details on the number of homes lost to the Thomas blaze, and the figure continues to climb.

The size, and rapid movement of the fire made it difficult for firefighters to get an accurate read at first of how many structures were destroyed or damaged.

The latest numbers show that 644 single family homes were destroyed, and 167 damaged. An additional 138 structures like carports and outbuilding also burned in the blaze. Many of the homes which were lost were in the City of Ventura, and most of the losses were in Ventura County.

Firefighters say despite efforts to contain the blaze, some 18,000 structures in the two counties are considered threatened.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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