California Wildfire Burns 65,000 Acres in Los Padres Forest, Prompts Evacuations

A wildfire in California has prompted evacuation orders and threatened hundreds of structures.

The wildfire has grown to 65,062 acres, and was only 3% contained.

Firefighters have been battling the Gifford fire in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties since Friday. Evacuation warnings were issued for areas in both counties.

Highway 166 remains closed between Highway 101 and New Cuyama.

“Fire is burning actively on both sides of the highway with more active spread on the south side,” an report from CalFire states.

Dry fuels are making fire conditions more dangerous, according to officials.

Fire activity is present in grass oak woodland and California Chaparral, grass fuels are plentiful and susceptible to spotting. “Brush is represented as a high-volume, dry-climate shrub,” an incident report states.

“The fire exhibited significant progression when aligned with topographical features, particularly within grass-dominated areas,” the report states.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters California Wildfire