Firefighters battling the Gifford Fire may be approaching a turning point, as officials express cautious optimism amid improving weather and steady progress on containment.
Fire Behavior Analyst Garrett Hazelton, speaking at a community meeting Monday evening in San Luis Obispo, said he was “happy to report” that fire danger levels are expected to “drop to near record lows for this time of year in the coming weeks.” He called the shift a “cliff” compared to recent extreme conditions.
“The good news is relief is coming from this heat wave and this elevated fire risk,” Hazelton said. “We’ve just got a couple more days, and we’re working with operations to try to square this part up and put this thing to sleep.”
Still, steep terrain and overgrown vegetation in wilderness areas continue to make containment difficult.
“There are not a lot of opportunities for firefighters to get in there and put in adequate control lines,” Operations Section Chief Nate Hamm said during the same meeting. “The terrain is steep, inaccessible and the fuels are very old and dry.”
Since it began Aug. 1 about 15 miles northeast of Santa Maria, the Gifford Fire has burned 125,272 acres, or about 191 square miles. As of Tuesday, it was 37% contained, with 821 structures threatened and 4,946 personnel assigned.
Crews are clearing vegetation and strengthening control lines along the north and northwestern side of the fire, according to Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck.
A larger, multi-day firing operation could begin as early as Tuesday afternoon, depending on weather, fire behavior and resource availability.
Cooler Weather Could Slow Fire Activity
Hot and dry weather is expected to continue through Tuesday, with some relief starting Wednesday as cooler temperatures begin to move in, according to fire officials. Higher elevations will stay dry overnight with little humidity recovery and winds could gust up to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Gifford Fire Incident Meteorologist Rich Thompson said the shift to cooler conditions should continue through the weekend. “Those cooler conditions are going to mean higher humidities and overall much less active fire weather conditions across the incident,” he said.
Thompson said while wind patterns are expected to remain steady, there is a small chance of stronger, unpredictable winds in some areas, including gusts that could develop in certain canyons over the next few days.
He added that weather remains one of the biggest factors in how fast the fire spreads and how intense it becomes.
Here's an image you don't see every day. Smoke from the #GiffordFire can be seen above a deep August marine layer from an Alert California Camera up in San Luis Obispo County. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/QbJtEu8VTh
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) August 12, 2025
Evacuations and Highway 166 Closure
Santa Barbara County officials canceled or downgraded some evacuation orders and warnings, including areas near Tepusquet Canyon and New Cuyama.
County officials urged residents to stay prepared and continue monitoring conditions as crews work along the southeastern perimeter of the fire.
Highway 166 remains closed to through traffic between Highway 101 and Perkins Road in New Cuyama.
Limited access is allowed for residents and workers in some areas, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Santa Maria office.
Fire-related information including evacuation maps can be found at ReadySBC.org for Santa Barbara County.
For San Luis Obispo County, evacuation zone maps and lookup tools are available at ReadySLO.org/zones.
SLO County officials use evacuation zone numbers in wireless emergency alerts to residents, while Santa Barbara County officials describe the general area.
Animal evacuation sites remain open in both counties with details and regularly updated Gifford Fire information found here.
Smoke impacts are expected in Santa Barbara, with occasional haze possible in Lompoc and Santa Ynez, according to the Aug. 12 smoke outlook from the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program. The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District forecasts moderate air quality countywide.