The Gifford Fire east of Santa Maria exploded overnight Friday into Saturday, nearly doubling in size and torching rugged terrain along both sides of Highway 166.

The area charred had soared in just a few hours, growing to 23,588 acres from 12,400 acres late Friday night.

By Saturday evening, the fire had blackened 30,519 acres, with containment still at just 5%.

There were 226 people who had been evacuated, according to Flemming Bertelsen, public information officer for the Los Padres National Forest, and 60 structures were threatened, including ranch homes.

New evacuation orders were issued Saturday afternoon for the upper Tepusquet Canyon area.

Evacuation warnings were issued for lower Tepusquet Canyon north of the Sisquoc River, as well as the areas south of Highway 166 east of Cottonwood Canyon Road and west of School House Road.

Evacuations were ordered Friday for the area north of Sierra Madre Road, south of Highway 166, west of Cottonwood Canyon Road, and east of the Willow Springs Trailhead, according to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management.

Evacuations also were ordered for areas north of Highway 166 in San Luis Obispo County.

Click here for the latest evacuation information.

Three people have been taken to the hospital for fire-related injuries.

One motorist on Highway 166 was airlifted to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria after he stopped on the side of the road to take pictures, Bertelsen said.

Two contractor employees were injured in a UTV rollover incident, Bertelsen said. One suffered moderate injuries and was flown by helicopter, while the other sustained minor injuries and was transported by ambulance.

Both also were taken to Marian.

“This area is kind of an unholy mix of fuels, rugged terrain and traffic,” Bertelsen said.

Highway 166 was expected to be closed through at least midday Sunday.

The fire was burning on both sides of Highway 166, with flames moving northeast from toward the recent Madre Fire burn scar, and south toward the Sierra Madre range.

Bertelsen said the fire is most active on the south side, and fanning out to the west and east.

Firefighters were attacking the blaze with hand crews, bulldozers, fire engines, four large air tankers, helicopters and air support.

The terrain is rugged, with thick vegetation, and is particularly steep on the south side.

“Air support has been the most effective so far,” Bertelsen said. “There are lots of deep canyons and areas that have not burned in a while.”

The area is also dry; it has received less than 50% of annual rainfall so far this year.

At least two type one helicopters are working the fire along with fixed-wing aircraft.

Bertelsen said one goal is to keep the fire out of the San Rafael Wilderness because once a fire gets through to that area it will basically consume the wilderness. There are no roads, electricity or pre-attack infrastructure out there, he said.

“This is going to be something for the long haul,” Bertelsen said. “It is going to get hotter and windier.”

A federal Incident Management Team was en route to assume command of the fire.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the fires may have been sparked by a motorist driving on a metal rim after a flat tire.

Evacuation Resources:

• For sheltering assistance, people can contact the American Red Cross at 805.678.3073.
• A Temporary Evacuation Point is open at Benjamin Foxen Elementary School, 4949 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria for evacuees.
• For assistance evacuating large animals, people can call the county Animal Services Disaster Hotline at 805.681.4332.
• The county Air Pollution Control District has issued an Air Quality Alert for the Cuyama area and an Air Quality Watch for the rest of Santa Barbara County. For updates visit www.ourair.org.
• For San Luis Obispo County evacuation and incident information, visit https://www.emergencyslo.org/en/incident-information.aspx.