Gifford Fire in SLO County has now burned more than 100,000 acres
The Gifford Fire has now burned more than 100,000 acres, according to the latest mapping by Intel aircraft.
As of Friday afternoon, the fire spanning San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties had blackened a total of 104,590 acres.
The increase came after the fire showed some signs of relenting overnight into Friday as fire crews worked to contain the blaze.
As of Friday morning, the fire showed minimal growth after it rapidly expanded northwest toward the Garcia Wilderness on Thursday, reaching 99,232 acres and 15% containment, according to the Los Padres National Forest.
A temperature inversion — a weather phenomenon in which the normal decline in air temperature with height is reversed, causing warmer air to sit above colder air — helped to suppress fire activity overnight, acting like a lid that trapped smoke and cool air near the ground, making suppression easier, the Forest Service said.
Higher elevations such as Pine Ridge, which sat above the inversion layer, still faced more active fires overnight, according to the Forest Service.
Heading into the eighth day of the fire, crews will continue to build control lines between the power line corridor and Pine Ridge to contain new northwestern growth, while crews will perform mop-up operations to the east and west, the Forest Service said.
The eastern boundary of the fire is pushed up against the Madre Fire burn scar, limiting growth in that direction.
Hot and dry conditions are expected to continue, with afternoon temperatures expected to reach as high as 100 degrees, while southwesterly winds of around 20 miles per hour are expected in the afternoon.
No structures have been destroyed by the fire, but 2,912 were threatened as of Friday, according to Cal Fire. Seven people have been injured, including three civilians and four firefighters.
A total of 3,431 personnel were working the fire as of Friday morning, along with 143 engines, 108 dozers and 32 water tenders, according to the Inciweb page for the Gifford Fire.
Community meeting planned to discuss evacuation updates
The fast-moving fire, which is the largest of the 2025 California wildfire season so far, has prompted the evacuation of large swaths of rural San Luis Obispo County, reaching as far west as Lopez Lake on Thursday.
Gifford Fire officials will hold a community at Branch Elementary School in Arroyo Grande from 7 to 8 p.m. on Friday to address questions, which will be broadcast virtually on the Los Padres National Forest YouTube and Facebook pages.
As of Friday morning, San Luis Obispo County zones under evacuation orders included: LPF-015, LPF-016, LPF-017, LPF-019, SLC-337, SLC-335, SLC-336, LPF-018, LPF-014, SLC-263, LPF-011, LPF-013, SLC-297, SLC-225, SLC-240, SLC-264, SLC-298, SLC-239, SLC-262, SLC-334, SLC-311, SLC-261, LPF-009, LPF-012, SLC-259, SLC-260, SLC-296 and LPF-010.
Evacuation warnings were in place in the following zones as of Friday morning: SLC-333, SLC-310, SLC-312, SLC-224, LPF-002, LPF-003, SLC-195, SLC-196, SLC-197, SLC-226, LPF-007, LPF-008, SLC-193, SLC-221, SLC-222, SLC-223, SLC-238, SLC-258, SLC-293, SLC-294, SLC-295 and SLC-194.
Questions can be submitted to 2025.gifford@firenet.gov for more information.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 10:45 AM.
