The fire is burning in dry and hot conditions as temperatures rise above 100 degrees in mountainous regions of the Central Coast.
Gifford’s fire grows in California, and smoke can be seen from space
The Gifford fire forced evacuation and highway closures as the flames continued to burn California and threatened hundreds of structures.
The Megafire on California’s Central Coast has become the state’s largest in 2025. And it is predicted to continue growing.
The Gifford Fire, which caught fire on August 1, is wrapped on more than 104,000 acres, with 21% estimated to be contained, according to a Federal Fire Update on August 9. It is burning in remote areas of the Los Padres National Forest, which urged road closures and evacuation in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, about 180 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The Gifford fire can be considered a megafire, a designation for wildfires that exceed 100,000 acres, according to the US Interagency Fire Center. Mark Ruggiello, a spokesman for the federal government’s response to the fire, said the US West has seen more than 100,000 acres of fires in recent decades.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Three civilians and four firefighters were injured in the ongoing flames.
According to Ruggiero, the fire was already in California’s largest 2025. The canyon wind is also expected to reach a gust of winds of about 20 mph.
“We have a long way to go,” he said. “The weather makes it even more difficult to secure crew members safely.”
The fire spreads north into the Garcia Wilderness area of the Rospadres National Forest, which has not seen fires in recorded history, Logiero said. The wilderness area provides heavy fuels including vegetation and trees, allowing the fire to continue to grow. The National Forest Service announced in an incident update on August 8th that sections will be open to the public until February.
In San Luis Obispo County, local officials are preparing if more evacuation is needed as the fires are heading north towards a more populated area. The evacuation order includes more than 600 people in rural areas dotted with horse ranches and farms, as well as Sheriff Sergeant San Luis Obispo County. Kyle Ndoson said. Approximately 1,500 people have been evacuated.
Katie Mans, the county emergency services coordinator, encouraged people to know their evacuation zone and sign up for alerts as conditions change. The county publishes readyslo.org/giffordfire and readysbc.org details in Santa Barbara County. You can also see the latest information on air quality due to the wildfires and dangers of toxic wildfire smoke at Slocleanair.org.
Eduardo Quebus is based in New York City. Contact him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or by signalling emcuevas.01.
