• California
• Gifford Fire

GIFFORD FIRE RAGES ON IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA, THREATENING OVER 870 STRUCTURES

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  CapitalTimesNews / 6 months
• 0
• 2 min read

A massive wildfire, known as the Gifford Fire, continues to burn out of control in central California, threatening over 870 remote homes and other structures at the northern edge of Los Padres National Forest. The fire has scorched at least 131 square miles of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, with only 9% containment. Crews working in steep, inaccessible terrain are facing new challenges due to rising temperatures. “We have hot weather, and we have low relative humidity,” said Capt. Scott Safechuck with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. “So we expect extreme fire behavior.” Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s on Wednesday and above 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday. The Gifford Fire has surpassed the 126-square mile Madre Fire, which erupted last month in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, as the state’s largest fire of 2025. Over 2,200 personnel are battling the fire, which grew out of at least four smaller fires that erupted along State Route 166. The fire is burning in a vast, mostly unpopulated region that includes forestland, ranches, large canyon properties, and agricultural parcels growing wine grapes and strawberries. Four people have been injured, including a firefighter who was treated for dehydration and a motorist who was hospitalized with burn injuries after getting out of his vehicle and being overrun by flames. The National Weather Service has warned of health risks from spreading smoke that could affect much of southwest California. “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. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and officials are urging residents to remain alert and follow evacuation instructions. The fire has forced closures in both directions east of Santa Maria, a city of about 110,000 people. With the heat wave intensifying, wildfire risk will be elevated through the weekend across much of inland California.