Containment increases for Gifford Fire as fire crews continue SLO County mop up

Containment once again increased for the Gifford Fire in eastern San Luis Obispo as mop up efforts were expected to continue through Sunday.

According to an incident update by the Los Padres National Forest, the fire was 89% contained and burned 131,589 acres as of Sunday morning.

Five structures have been destroyed and 778 others are threatened, according to the post. A total of 63 residents were still evacuated.

Three civilians have been injured as well as nine firefighters, according to Cal Fire.

Although strong winds tested containment lines overnight, firefighters with the help of higher humidity worked to prevent any growth from the fire and reinforced lines 200 feet inside the perimeter, the Forest Service said.

On Sunday, firefighters will concentrate on mop up operations as they inspect the edges of affected areas while also removing excess equipment, according to the update.

Some areas within the last 24 hours have downgraded from evacuation orders to warning, while others had evacuation liftings, returning residents to normal occupancy, the post said.

The San Luis Obispo County zones shifted from evacuation orders to warnings include SLC-193, 194, 221, and 224. The western portion of LPF-012 was also moved to evacuation warning. Resident can return to these areas, but should still be prepared to evacuate if needed.

Evacuations have lifted for the following zones in SLO County: SLC-172, 192, 238, 259, 260 and 311, and LPF-002, 003 and 008.

Officials will hold a virtual community meeting on Sunday from 6 to 7 p.m. to address updates and questions for the Gifford Fire. The meeting can be accessed through the Los Padres National Forest Incident Management Youtube page.