Gifford Fire grows over 117,000 acres as containment increases

Update, 3:35 p.m.:

The Gifford Fire in San Luis Obispo County grew to over 117,000 acres as of Sunday afternoon, along with an increase in containment.

According to Cal Fire, the fire burned 117,524 acres and was 32% contained as of 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, air quality in the Carrizo Plain and California Valley region remained unhealthy, according to the SLO County Air Pollution Control District.

Toward the western areas of northern San Luis Obispo County, air quality was in the “good” range as of Sunday morning, but had the potential to change occasionally to “moderate” and or “unhealthy” for sensitive groups, the district said.

In the southern part of SLO County, smoke was expected to stay east of Arroyo Grande, impacting the Huasna Valley, according to the district.

Update, 12:55 p.m.:

A new evacuation warning has been ordered in San Luis Obispo County following the growth of the Gifford Fire on Sunday.

Santa Margarita Lake moved into evacuation warning status, with the county choosing to cancel all reservations scheduled to Aug. 21 and restricting parts of the recreational lake, according to San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation.

Refunds will be distributed to those with future or current reservations at the lake, and no new reservations will be accepted while the lake is under the evacuation warning, the department said.

Visitors may still access the area for day use, and current campers can choose to stay, though all boating activities and rentals have been suspended.

All restriction as of Sunday are subject to change, according to the department.

Original story:

The Gifford Fire in eastern San Luis Obispo County grew to over 114,000 acres overnight.

As of Sunday morning, the fire had reached 114,621 acres and remained 21% contained, according to a status update from Cal Fire.

According to the Los Padres National Forest, the fire moved toward the Huasna Valley and the community of Pozo as it continued to burn in the rugged Garcia wilderness and by the southern end of the Machesna Mountain wilderness.

Three civilians sustained injuries as a result of the fire, and seven additional firefighters have also been injured, Cal Fire said. Two structures have been destroyed and 2,922 others remained under threat.

As of Saturday, almost 100 animals had evacuated from the Gifford Fire and were sheltered through the San Luis Obispo County Division of Animal Services, according to its Facebook page.

The Los Padres National Forest Service also announced a community meeting would be held at Santa Margarita Elementary School at 2 p.m. Sunday to address fire updates and take questions. The meeting will also be held virtually on the Los Padres National Forest Incident Management Youtube page.

As of Sunday morning, evacuations orders have been issued to the following zones in San Luis Obispo County: LPF-009, LPF-010, LPF-011, LPF-012, LPF-013, LPF-014, LPF-015, LPF-016, LPF-017, LPF-018, LPF-019, SLC-222, SLC-223, SLC-225, SLC-239, SLC-240, SLC-259, SLC-260, SLC-261, SLC-262, SLC-263, SLC-264, SLC-296, SLC-297, SLC-298, SLC-311, SLC-334, SLC-335, SLC-336 and SLC-337.

The following evacuation warning have been issued for these zones in SLO County: LPF-002, LPF-003, LPF-007, LPF-008, SLC-193, SLC-194, SLC-195, SLC-196, SLC-197, SLC-221, SLC-224, SLC-226, SLC-238, SLC-258, SLC-293, SLC-294, SLC-295, SLC-310, SLC-312 and SLC-333.

This story was originally published August 10, 2025 at 10:31 AM.