Massive Wildfire in Central California Threatens Homes, Injures 3 People as It Burns out of Control
The Gifford Fire scorched more than 100 square miles (260 square km) of coastal Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, and was still burning out of control, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.
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San Francisco Chronicle
31 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Massive central California wildfire keeps growing and becomes state's largest blaze of the year
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — Rising temperatures on Wednesday posed new challenges for firefighters who have made incremental progress against a massive wildfire in central California that has injured four people as it has become the biggest blaze in the state so far this year. More than 870 remote homes and other structures at the northern edge of Los Padres National Forest are threatened by the Gifford Fire, which grew only slightly overnight after burning out of control for days. The fire has scorched at least 131 square miles (339 square kilometers) of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, with just 9% containment. It surpassed the 126-square mile (326-square-kilometer) Madre Fire, which erupted last month in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, as the state's largest fire of 2025. Crews working in steep, inaccessible terrain will be dealing with temperatures in the mid-90s (35 Celsius) on Wednesday and above 100 (38 Celsius) on Thursday, said Capt. Scott Safechuck with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. 'We have hot weather, and we have low relative humidity,' Safechuck said Wednesday. 'So we expect extreme fire behavior.' Luckily, winds are expected to remain relatively calm, he said. Wildfire risk will be elevated through the weekend across much of inland California as the heat wave intensifies. The southern part of the state has seen very little rain, drying out vegetation and making it 'ripe to burn,' the National Weather Service for Los Angeles warned in a statement. Triple-digit temperatures (around 38 Celsius) are forecast for the Sacramento Valley. More than 2,200 personnel are battling the Gifford Fire, which grew out of at least four smaller fires that erupted Friday along State Route 166, forcing closures in both directions east of Santa Maria, a city of about 110,000 people. The causes of the fires are under investigation. Flames are racing through a vast, mostly unpopulated region that includes forestland, ranches, large canyon properties and agricultural parcels growing wine grapes and strawberries. The weather service warned of health risks from spreading smoke that could affect much of southwest California. Officials reported four injuries, including a firefighter who was treated for dehydration. Over the weekend, a motorist was hospitalized with burn injuries after getting out of his vehicle and being overrun by flames. And two contract employees assisting firefighters were also hurt when their all-terrain vehicle overturned.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Gifford Fire grows to nearly 84,000 acres. See maps, latest info.
The Gifford Fire in California has grown to nearly 84,000 acres as of Wednesday, Aug. 6, making it the largest blaze the state has seen this year. The fire has consumed 83,933 acres and is 9% contained, according to a Cal Fire update, which comes as Southern Californians also face the Rosa and Gold fires The Gifford wildfire, which the Los Padres National Forest said threatens over 800 structures, has injured three people, one of whom was treated for burn injuries. It has also prompted evacuation orders for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. "Thursday could see temperatures into the triple digits, with an increase in fire behavior," according to an evening update on Tuesday, Aug. 5. "The warming and drying trend is expected to continue through the weekend." According to Cal Fire's list of wildfires in 2025, the Gifford Fire is the largest this year, coming amid the agency's forecast of 'above-normal large fire activity by July and August.' Where is the Gifford Fire in California? The Gifford Fire is burning within the Los Padres National Forest and is northeast of Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County. Officials noted over the weekend that the fire was near the Madre Fire burn scar. That wildfire, which broke out in early July, burned over 80,000 acres in San Luis Obispo County. When did the Gifford Fire start? The Gifford Fire began on Aug. 1, when firefighters responded to reports of multiple wildfires along Highway 166 west of Cuyama, according to an incident report. The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation, officials said. Latest wildfires in U.S. In California, at least seven smaller fires erupted across the state on Aug. 4, according to Cal Fire. The largest of those blazes included two fires in Southern California. Contributing: Karina Zaiets, Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Diablo Canyon scales back power as Gifford Fire grows to California's largest in 2025
The Gifford Fire burning in eastern San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties has now grown to be the largest California wildfire this year, surpassing the 80,000 acres burned in the Madre Fire last month. The fire, which sparked Friday afternoon, has now grown to 82,567 acres and was 7% contained as of 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, according to InciWeb. The fire grew nearly 20,000 acres in 24 hours, with 10,000 of those acres growing since around 4 p.m. Monday. On Monday, smoke from the fire could be seen from space. Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant has also reduced power on one of its units to 46% due to the fire and its proximity to transmission lines in San Luis Obispo County, PG&E spokesperson Carina Corral told The Tribune in an email. Operators elected to reduce power to support grid reliability and reduce potential risks to the transmissions system, Corral said. The other unit is operating at full power and there is no impact to plant safety, she added. Current Southern California wildfires This map shows wildfires that have been updated within the past 7 days from the Integrated Reporting of Wildland-Fire Information (IRWIN) and the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). The larger the circle, the larger the wildfire by acres. Data is from the US Department of the Interior, Office of Wildland Fire, IRWIN, NIFC, NASA, NOAA and ESRI. Open Steve Wilson swilson@ The fire extends on both sides of Highway 166 from Aliso Creek and Cuyama Highway to the Carrizo Plain National Monument near the Gifford Trailhead, approximately 30 miles east of Santa Maria. Highway 166 East remained closed between Highway 101 and Highway 33, according to fire officials. As of Saturday, three people had been injured in the fire. How are crews battling the Gifford Fire? On Tuesday, fire officials said in a news release that the Gifford Fires is a 'full suppression fire, with the primary focus on protecting lives, property, rangeland and cultural resources.' Firefighters planned to continue to construct a fire line in the southern portions of the fire using La Brea Road and scout historic containment lines on the eastern side from Miranda Pine Mountain to Cuyama Valley, the release said. Crews were providing structure protection for critical properties at risk in School House and Cottonwood Canyons, the release said. Meanwhile on the western flank of the fire, crews were carving dozer lines and firefighters were looking for opportunities to build containment lines at the fire's edge. Contingency lines on the northern flank were established to prevent the fire from spreading into the Manchesna Wilderness, the release said. Hot and dry conditions were forecasted to remain through Tuesday with little change, fire officials said, and onshore winds were expected to push into the area in the afternoon, which could impact fire behavior. What parts of SLO County need to evacuate? Fire officials said residents should watch for changing conditions due to 'erratic fire behavior.' Ten San Luis Obispo County zones were under evacuation orders while 12 were under evacuation warnings. Temporary evacuation points were located at Benjamin Foxen Elementary School, 4949 Foxen Canyon Road in Santa Maria, and at Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center, 4689 CA-166B, New Cuyama. The centers offer N-95 masks, water, fire information and relief from heat, according to Ready SLO. A large animal shelter was located at Elks Rodeo Grounds, 4040 Highway 101, Santa Maria. Those with large animals should enter from Morningside Drive and proceed to Gate 2. Small household pets can be sheltered at 548 W Foster Road, Santa Maria; 1501 W Central Ave., Lompoc; 5473 Overpass Road, Goleta; and 111 Commerce Drive, Buellton. San Luis Obispo County residents in the following zones remained under an evacuation order: LPF-014 LPF-015 LPF-016 LPF-017 LPF-018 LPF-019 SLC-263 SLC-335 SLC-336 SLC-337 San Luis Obispo County residents in the following zones remained under an evacuation warning: LPF-011 LPF-013 SLC-311 SLC-312 SLC-225 SLC-334 SLC-239 SLC-240 SLC-262 SLC-264 SLC-297 SLC-298 For more information, visit Solve the daily Crossword
