Victims of the Thomas Fire
Firefighter Cory Iverson Died December 14; Evacuee Virginia Pesola on December 6
Though a record-shattering inferno, the Thomas Fire has led to the loss of only two lives: those of firefighter Cory Iverson and evacuee Virginia Rae Pesola.
Iverson was an apparatus engineer out of Cal Fire’s San Diego unit who was killed the morning of Thursday, December 14, on the fire’s eastern edge near Fillmore. Authorities said Iverson was part of a five-member strike team working near a “very active part of the fire.” They declined to describe exactly what wrong in detail before an investigation by Cal Fire is complete.
An eight-year veteran, the 32-year-old was the father of a 2-year-old daughter, and his wife has another on the way. His colleagues remembered him as a dedicated firefighter who was a joy to be around. His tragic death shook the entire firefighting community. “We had a very good day, but this was a very tough one for all of us,” Santa Barbara County Battalion Chief Chris Childers said after the death at the incident briefing. “It always hits hard when a firefighter dies.”
