Massive California wildfire keeps growing — becomes state's largest blaze of the 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.
3 A massive wildfire has injured four people across central California, as this latest blaze is the biggest one to hit the state this year.
AP
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.
3 The wildfires covered at least 131 square miles across the areas of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
REUTERS
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.
3 Nearly 1,000 homes and structures across the Los Padres National Forest are at risk from the latest wildfires that are still under investigation as to what caused the latest blaze to hit the state.
AP
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
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 This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See Gifford Fire maps, containment details as blaze hits 84,000 acres Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Firefighters grapple with France's largest wildfire in decades
STORY: :: August 6, 2025 :: Firefighters work through the night against France's largest wildfire in decades :: Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, France :: Officials say at least one person has died Reuters video showed flames in the trees in in the village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, about 30 kilometres from the city of Perpignan, while firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze. One person died in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the prefecture said. The fire, which spread very rapidly through forests and villages, has burnt down at least 25 houses, forcing residents and tourists to flee. Many roads are closed. So far, over 15,000 hectares have burned. That is similar to the total area that burned across all of France in several of the past years, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said. He added this was the biggest area burnt by one single fire in France since 1949. The prefecture said the fire was progressing "very quickly" and that nearly 2,000 firefighters were trying to bring it under control. Around 2,500 households in the area were currently without electricity, it said.
Associated Press
8 hours ago
- Associated Press
Pakistan's deadly monsoon floods were worsened by global warming, study finds
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Heavy rainfall that triggered floods in Pakistan in recent weeks, killing hundreds of people, was worsened by human-caused climate change, according to a new study. The study by World Weather Attribution, a group of international scientists who study global warming's role in extreme weather, found that rainfall from June 24 to July 23 in the South Asian nation was 10% to 15% heavier because of climate change, leading to many building collapses in urban and rural Pakistan. Pakistan's government has reported at least 300 deaths and 1,600 damaged houses due to the floods, heavy rain and other weather since June 26. Saqib Hassan, a 50-year-old businessman in northern Pakistan, said flooding on July 22 destroyed his home and 18 of his relatives' homes, along with their dairy farms. His farm animals were washed away, resulting in heavy losses — likely 100 million rupees ($360,000) — for him and his family. Last-minute announcements from a nearby mosque were the only warning they got to evacuate their homes in the small town of Sarwarabad and get to higher ground. 'We are homeless now. Our houses have been destroyed. All the government has given us is food rations worth 50,000 rupees ($177) and seven tents, where we've been living for the past two weeks,' Hassan told The Associated Press over the phone. Heavy rains cause series of disasters High temperatures and intense precipitation worsened by global warming have accelerated the pace of recent extreme weather events faster than climate experts expected, said Islamabad-based climate scientist Jakob Steiner, who was not part of the WWA study. 'In the last few weeks, we have been scrambling to look at the number of events, not just in Pakistan, but in the South Asian region that have baffled us,' he said. 'Many events we projected to happen in 2050 have happened in 2025, as temperatures this summer, yet again, have been far above the average,' said Steiner, a geoscientist with the University of Graz, Austria, who studies water resources and associated risks in mountain regions. Heavy monsoon rains have resulted in a series of disasters that have battered South Asia, especially the Himalayan mountains, which span across five countries, in the last few months. Overflowing glacial lakes resulted in flooding that washed away a key bridge connecting Nepal and China, along with several hydropower dams in July. Earlier this week, a village in northern India was hit by floods and landslides, killing at least four people and leaving hundreds missing. The authors of the WWA study, which was released early Thursday, said that the rainfall they analyzed in Pakistan shows that climate change is making floods more dangerous. Climate scientists have found that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which can make rain more intense. 'Every tenth of a degree of warming will lead to heavier monsoon rainfall, highlighting why a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is so urgent,' said Mariam Zachariah, a researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London and lead author of the WWA study. Extreme weather's impact on Pakistan Even though Pakistan is responsible for less than 1% of planet-heating gases in the atmosphere, research shows that it incurs an outsized amount of damage from extreme weather. Pakistan witnessed its most devastating monsoon season in 2022, with floods that killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage. According to the United Nations, global funds set up to deal with loss and damages because of climate change or funds set up to adapt to climate change are falling well short of the amounts needed to help countries like Pakistan deal with climate impacts. The U.N. warns that its loss and damage fund only holds a fraction of what's needed to address yearly economic damage related to human-caused climate change. Similarly, U.N. reports state that developed countries such as the United States and European nations, which are responsible for the largest chunk of planet-heating gases in the atmosphere, are providing far less than what's needed in adaptation financing. These funds could help improve housing and infrastructure in areas vulnerable to flooding. The WWA report says much of Pakistan's fast-growing urban population lives in makeshift homes, often in flood-prone areas. The collapsing of homes was the leading cause of the 300 deaths cited in the report, responsible for more than half. 'Half of Pakistan's urban population lives in fragile settlements where floods collapse homes and cost lives,' said Maja Vahlberg of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, who also helped author the WWA report, in a press statement. 'Building flood-resilient houses and avoiding construction in flood zones will help reduce the impacts of heavy monsoon rain.' ___ Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India. ___ Follow Sibi Arasu on X at @sibi123 ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
