Some Gifford Fire evacuation warnings lifted, orders downgraded. See latest
Some evacuation warnings lifted in SLO County
Update, 1 p.m.:
A handful of neighborhoods were released from Gifford Fire evacuation warnings in San Luis Obispo County on Thursday afternoon, according to the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services.
Evacuation warnings were lifted for zones SLC-294, SLC-310 and SLC-333, which are areas north of Highway 166, south of Canyon De Los Alisos and east of Temettate Ridge and Alisos Road.
The evacuation warning was also lifted in zone SLC-312, which includes areas east of Chimineas Ranch Road, south and west of the Caliente Range and in the Saltos Canyon area.
Finally, evacuation warnings were lifted for zones SLC-197 and SLC-226, which include areas east of Branch Mountain Road, Grande Vista Drive and Dorrington Trail, areas south of Highway 58, west of Soda Lake Road and north of Calle Drive and Keystone Trail.
Meanwhile, some evacuation orders were downgraded to evacuation warnings.
“Residents may return to these areas, but should remain alert and be prepared to evacuate if ordered,” the county emergency office said in a Facebook post.
These zones include SLC-296 and SLC-334, which include portions of Huasna Valley, Railpen Canyon and Tar Spring Ridge.
Residents can also return to zones LPF-017, LPF-019, SLC-225, SLC-240, SLC-264, SLC-298 and SLC-337, which are north of Highway 166, west of Chimineas Ranch Road and Sprague Hill Road, and south and west of Cal Valley.
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Original story:
Crews battled the largest fire in California through the night, increasing containment of the Gifford Fire to 41% by Thursday morning.
The blaze grew by about 3,400 acres from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, scorching a total of 132,389 acres in southeastern San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County, according to the Los Padres National Forest.
The fire had injured eight firefighters and destroyed five structures as of Thursday morning. Meanwhile, 821 structures were still threatened by the blaze.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
What’s next for the firefighting efforts?
By Thursday morning, fire crews completed strategic burns to reinforce containment lines around the Garcia Wilderness. Crews made progress where Caldwell Trout Creek meets Hi Mountain Road, according to the morning update.
As a result, smoke levels should decrease on the northern end of the blaze.
Thursday’s priority was to prevent the fire from spreading past containment lines along Hi Mountain Road on the north end of the fire, Incident Team 5 operations section chief Don Fregulia said during the morning update.
“We think we’re going to be successful out there,” he said.
Cooler temperatures and dry weather conditions were expected to slow the fire’s progress on the northwestern flank of the fire, but gustier winds were expected to blow through the area, too.
Meanwhile, fire crews will continue to patrol Avenales Ranch Road and Pozo Valley.
Crews expanded containment on the south end of the fire, and on Thursday, they were expected to continue to fight the blaze in the San Rafael Wilderness — working to prevent it from moving further south.
“(It’s) extremely difficult, challenging terrain,” Fregulia said. “It’s time-consuming to get out there, time-consuming to get back out safely at the end of the day. So we’re really trying to keep the troops safe out there as well as trying to accomplish the mission.”
According to the Los Padres National Forest, 4,976 personnel responded to the fire.
Gifford Fire officials will host a community meeting online from 6 to 7 p.m. for an update on the fire. People can watch at the Los Padres National Forest Incident Management YouTube and Facebook.
Evacuations and road closures
As of Thursday, evacuation orders were still in place for 32 zones in San Luis Obispo County, including LPF-015, LPF-016, LPF-017, LPF-019, SLC-337, 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, LPF-010, SLC-222, SLC-223, SLC-193, SLC-194, SLC-221 and SLC-224.
In Santa Barbara County, evacuation orders were in place for five zones: LPF-165, SBC-163-A, SBC-163-B, SBC-167 and SBC-167-A.
Meanwhile, road closures remained at Huasna Townsite Road, Huasna Road, Lopez Drive, Hi Mountain Road, Park Hill Road, River Road, Pozo Road, Avenales Ranch Road and Santa Margarita Lake Road.
Highway 166 reopened Wednesday afternoon after being closed for about two weeks due to damage from the fire.
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 11:23 AM.
