Update: Early-morning wildfire near SLO High forces evacuations, causes power outages
Update, 5 p.m.:
The Bishop Street wildfire burned only an estimated 15 acres in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday morning — down from the initial estimate of 50 acres, the city said in a news release.
According to the release, the total fire acreage was determined to be 14.7 acres, with 11 acres in the State Responsibility Area and 3.7 acres within city limits.
The initial estimate of 50 acres was made “without a full visual of the extent of the fire and under less-than-ideal conditions of smoke and morning light,” the release said. Later in the day, fire personnel were able to use aircraft and an unmanned aerial vehicle to map the burn scar from above.
According to the release, an estimated 575 people from 329 addresses were evacuated due to the blaze.
“We appreciate the nearby neighbors for heeding all evacuation warnings as we responded to the fire,” the release said.
Original story:
Thousands of households in San Luis Obispo woke up without electricity on Tuesday morning due to an early-morning wildfire that forced nearby residents to evacuate.
The fire burned about 50 acres into the hills above Bishop Street, according to San Luis Obispo City Fire Department Chief Todd Tuggle.
Authorities evacuated residents of neighborhoods in the area between Sydney Street and San Luis Obispo High School and above Johnson Avenue due to the blaze, Tuggle said.
The fire also caused several power outages.
The wildfire was 80% contained by 3 p.m., Cal Fire said in a social media post.
Wildfire reported near SLO High School
The San Luis Obispo City Fire Department received reports of a fire in the 1700 block of Bishop Street at 4:30 a.m., Tuggle said.
The wildfire rapidly progressed into the area behind the San Luis Obispo County Probation Department and Health Agency buildings, Tuggle said.
Approximately 100 personnel from the city Fire Department, the Police Department and Cal Fire responded to the scene, Tuggle said.
By 7:15 a.m., forward progress on the fire had stopped, Tuggle said.
The fire grew to about 50 acres before it was contained, he said.
Power outage affects thousands of PG&E customers
PG&E received reports of an outage in SLO at 4:26 a.m., according to its website, linked to the nearby fire as the cause.
As of 8:26 a.m., seven outages across San Luis Obispo County impacted a total of 3,568 PG&E customers, according to PG&E’s outage map.
SLO High School was temporarily without electricity and closed early Tuesday morning, KCBX-FM reported.
The high school reopened later Tuesday morning, Tuggle said.
Power was restored to all affected customers as of 10:45 a.m., according to a release from the San Luis Obispo City Fire Department.
Residents return to homes after evacuations
As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, local residents had mostly returned to their homes and could be seen in their front yards surveying the scene.
First responders were conducting mop-up and were expecting residual smoke and emergency vehicles in the area well into the afternoon, Tuggle said.
Personnel on the scene continued to attack hot spots with a hose line.
In the distance, chainsaws could be heard on the hill side.
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What caused fire in hills above Bishop Street?
The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of Tuesday morning, Tuggle said.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 8:50 AM.
