On the morning of December 15 , containment lines in the Santa Barbara and Montecito areas and protecting nearby homes was the priority , in addition to the threatened Carpinteria and Summerland areas . Officials feared the sundowner winds could push the fire into those communities as they blow south from the mountains down to the coast , and because they also dry out the air . Although they prevented the fire from reaching the community , it still grew to with 40 % containment on the morning of December 16 , surpassing the Rim Fire in size , and becoming the third-largest wildfire in the modern history of California . Around this time , officials and experts feared that the Thomas Fire could surpass the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 , which had burned over , and is believed to be California 's all-time largest wildfire on record
Rim Fire
Rim Fire
Thomas Fire