California Fire Map, Update As Evacuation Orders Issued for Gifford Blaze
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Gifford Fire in central California has expanded to become one of the state's largest active wildfires, burning over 72,000 acres and prompting widespread evacuation orders.
Newsweek contacted Cal Fire for comment via email outside of standard working hours on Tuesday.
Why It Matters
At least three people have been injured, The Associated Press reported. A motorist sustained burn injuries and was hospitalized after exiting his vehicle and being engulfed by flames, U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Flemming Bertelson said, according to the outlet, while two contract workers assisting firefighting efforts were injured when their all-terrain vehicle flipped over, it said.
What To Know
The Gifford Fire began on August 1 from multiple smaller fires along State Route 166 between Santa Maria and Bakersfield, impacting Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, Newsweek reported previously.
Officials reported that the blaze had expanded to 72,460 acres by Monday evening, threatening over 870 structures. Nearly 2,000 firefighters were engaged in containment efforts, along with 115 engines, 39 hand crews, 23 dozers and 30 water tenders.
A Watch Duty map shows the approximate location of the blaze along with evacuation orders (red) and warnings (yellow).
A Watch Duty map shows the approximate location of the blaze along with evacuation orders (red) and warnings (yellow).
Watch Duty
Evacuation orders had been issued for nine zones in San Luis Obispo County and seven in Santa Barbara County, with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) warning of an immediate threat to life.
A further 12 evacuation warnings in San Luis Obispo County and three in Santa Barbara County were also in effect.
Temporary evacuation sites were established at Benjamin Foxen Elementary School in Santa Maria and the Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center in New Cuyama, Cal Fire said.
The agency also reported that Highway 166 was closed between Highway 101 and New Cuyama.
The National Weather Service's Los Angeles forecast office warned on Monday that the fire continued to generate smoke that would impact portions of southwest California.
Here's a projection for the smoke from the #GiffordFire 🔥in San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara Counties through tomorrow night. Smoke will generally move towards the south and east. pic.twitter.com/fzb05X833b — NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) August 4, 2025
A wildfire smoke advisory had been issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) due to smoke from the Gifford fire, along with two other wildfires—the Rosa fire near the Santa Rosa Mountains and the Gold fire in the San Bernardino National Forest.
What People Are Saying
California Interagency Incident Management Team 5 Operations Section Chief Don Fregulia said in a video update posted to social media on Monday: "The fire has been extremely active as it works to the south along the Cuyama Valley."
California Governor Gavin Newsom's Press Office said in a post on X, August 2: "The GiffordFire in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara has burned 23,000+ acres after starting on federally managed land in Los Padres National Forest.
"@CAL_FIRE has deployed crews and aircraft and is now in unified command with federal partners — working together to protect lives and communities."
What Happens Next
The fire was reported at 3 percent containment at the time of writing. Officials said the cause of the blaze was under investigation.
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