Gifford Fire in California grows to more than 65,000 acres as firefighters battle blaze
The massive Gifford Fire has injured at least three, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
According to CalFire, the blaze began on Friday afternoon inside the Los Padres National Forest in Solvang, California, impacting people in both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
At a containment of only 3% as of 7 p.m. ET on August 4, the fire has already scorched at least 65,062 acres. As the fire continued to burn on Monday, evacuation orders and warnings were issued for areas of both counties, and Highway 166 was closed due to flames on both sides of the road, CalFire said.
'The fire remained active well into the night. Firefighters made significant progress to the north, constructing dozer lines that connected with the Madre Fire,' the Los Padres National Forest said in a Monday afternoon press release.
The fire has also affected the air quality in the region. In a post by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District on Sunday, officials issued an air quality alert 'until conditions improve.' The warning was still in place on Monday.
See map of Gifford wildfire
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gifford Fire in California grows to more than 65,000 acres: See map
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