6 days ago
Gifford Fire grows to more than 125,000 acres as it shifts west in SLO County
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The Gifford Fire grew nearly 3,000 acres overnight and then added another 3,600 Tuesday, reaching a total of 125,648 acres as of 4 p.m., according to the Los Padres National Forest.
Northeastern winds after sunset Monday evening drove the fire to spread west along the Garcia Ridge, close to established containment lines along Hi Mountain Road, which runs between the Garcia and Santa Lucia Wildnerness areas.
Crews worked overnight to remove vegetation in advance of the main fire to prepare for a 'strategic firing operation,' which is tentatively scheduled to take place Tuesday afternoon contingent on weather conditions, manageable fire behavior and complete readiness of resources.
Firefighters established containment lines on the northeast side of the fire near Los Pelados and Midway roads. Crews laid hoses in the area and will work to extinguish any remaining hot spots Tuesday. Other parts of the perimeter were in mop-up and patrol status.
Hot and dry conditions were expected to continue Tuesday, with poor humidity recovery in higher elevations through the night. Winds on the ridges were expected to shift from northeasterly Monday evening to northwesterly during the daytime on Tuesday, with gusts reaching up to 20 miles per hour in the afternoon and evening.
Evacuation orders expanded Monday to zones SLC-193, SLC-194, SLC-221, SLC-224, which include the areas of Pozo Road, Santa Margarita Lake, Parkhill Road and River Road, and west of the Los Padres National Forest.
Zones SLC-172 and SLC-192 were both added to the evacuation warning, which includes the areas north of Santa Margarita Lake, south of Las Pillas Road, west of Los Padres National Forest and east of Pozo Road.
To view all areas under evacaution orders and warnings, visit
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