NEW CUYAMA, Calif. – A nearly 40,000-acre wildfire forced people from their homes in two Southern California counties over the weekend as firefighters worked to contain the blaze in challenging terrain.
The Gifford Fire started along Highway 166 west of Cayama on Friday afternoon, and by Sunday morning, it had exploded to 39,676 acres and was only 5% contained, according to San Luis Obispo County emergency management officials.
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The fire is burning inside the Los Padres National Forest, consuming thick brush along both sides of Highway 166, with most of the fire in Santa Barbara County. According to the U.S. Forest Service, additional firefighting resources have been brought in to combat the fire burning in rugged terrain, including air tankers and helicopters.
Video shared by the Forest Service shows an air tanker making a drop on the blaze.
The fire is burning just west of the recent Madre Fire, which became California’s largest wildfire of the year on July 3. The Madre Fire was fully contained on July 28 after burning more than 80,000 acres, according to the Forest Service.
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Some evacuations have been ordered in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties near the Los Padres National Forest. Those remained in place on Sunday.
The Gifford Fire exploded in size Friday night along Plowshare Peak in Southern California’s Los Padres National Forest. Time-lapse video from ALERTCalifornia shows the flames rapidly spreading up the mountainside.
Forest Service officials said three people were injured because of the fire. One civilian was taken by helicopter to the hospital for burn injuries. Two contractors were injured in a UTV rollover incident. All the victims were taken to Marian Regional Medical Center for treatment.
According to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard, Southern California faces elevated fire behavior with gusty winds in the week ahead. Under these conditions, abnormally elevated fire behavior and growth are possible.
