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Firefighters battle 375-acre fire near Arroyo Grande as marine layer moves in

Firefighters were making good progress Thursday on containing the Camino Fire burning in rural San Luis Obispo County.

The wildfire, located off Huasna and Mary Hall roads east of Arroyo Grande, was 65% contained as of 7 a.m. Thursday morning. That’s up from 45% contained as of Wednesday evening, according to Cal Fire.

The Camino Fire was holding steady at 375 acres, Cal Fire said in a news release.

“Firefighters and crews will continue mop-up operations today,” the agency said. “Overnight marine layer has helped overnight recoveries, contributing to higher containment. Control lines continue to be established and improved.”

The Camino Fire was sparked by a catalytic converter just before noon Tuesday as a one-acre grass fire. But hot, dry conditions mixed with light gusts of winds stoked the fire and let it jump across Huasna Road into thickly vegetated hills.

The fire then quickly spread as it raced up the hills and had reached 200 acres by early Tuesday afternoon.

By Wednesday morning, the fire grew to 325 acres, and then increased to 375 acres by Wednesday evening.

Several fire fighting agencies responded to the blaze, including Cal Fire, many local San Luis Obispo County agencies, plus resources from Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

At the peak, about 375 personnel were fighting the Camino Fire.

As of Thursday morning, 320 personnel were assigned to the fire, according to Cal Fire.

This story was originally published June 30, 2022 at 10:03 AM.

Mackenzie Shuman
The Tribune
Mackenzie Shuman primarily writes about SLO County education and the environment for The Tribune. She’s originally from Monument, Colorado, and graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May 2020. When not writing, Mackenzie spends time outside hiking and rock climbing.
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