The Gifford Fire grew to more than 49,000 acres on Sunday as firefighters braced for windy conditions, and authorities in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties expanded evacuation orders.
Containment dropped to 3% after maxing out at 5%.
The incident started Friday afternoon as several small fires along Highway 166, northeast of Santa Maria and just west of the recent Madre Fire perimeter.
The fire is burning within Los Padres National Forest, including Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties areas.
As of Sunday night, the fire had blackened 49,761acres, up from 30,519 acres Saturday night.
More than 1,090 fire personnel were assigned to the incident, with more on the way, as firefighters attacked the blaze from the ground and the air.
Highway 166, between the Central Coast and Cuyama Valley, will remain closed through Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Tall grass, over two feet, and chaparral, over six feet, have fueled the fire’s fast growth.
The blaze crossed Branch Mountain Road to the north and continued advancing toward Pine Canyon.
U.S. Forest Service officials expected onshore winds pushing into the area Sunday afternoon to affect fire behavior and cause growth, as hot and dry conditions could continue into Tuesday.
The National Weather Service forecast for Sunday afternoon called for northwest winds with gusts of 15-25 mph, shifting to the north-northeast by Sunday night.
Firefighters were continuing building containment lines in the southern portions of the area using La Brea Road.
They also were scouting historic containment lines on the eastern side, from Miranda Pine Mountain to the Cuyama Valley.
Firefighters were providing structure protection for critical resources at risk in School House and Cottonwood canyons.
On the northern flank, contingency lines were being established to prevent the fire from spreading into the Manchesna Mountain Wilderness.
Fires in wilderness areas can be more challenging to extinguish due to access restrictions to protect the sensitive areas.
Approximately 360 residences were threatened by the fire, according to Capt. Scott Safechuck of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
On Sunday, Santa Barbara County authorities expanded evacuation orders to include south of Highway 166, east of Cottonwood Canyon Road, and west of School House Road.
Previous evacuation orders included Upper Tepusquet Canyon south of Highway 166 and an area south of Highway 166, east of Willow Springs trailhead, and west of Cottonwood Canyon Road.
New evacuation warnings Sunday affect south of Highway 166, east of School House Road, and west of Aliso Canyon Road plus south of Highway 166, east of Aliso Canyon and west of Perkins Road.
Lower Tepusquet Canyon north of the Sisquoc River, continues to remain under an evacuation warning.
For more information on Santa Barbara County evacuation orders and warnings go to ReadySBC.org
San Luis Obispo County also expanded evacuation orders to include areas north of Cable Corral Road, east of Agua Escondido Road, south of Avenales Ranch Road, and west of Aveneles Branch Mountain Road.
Evacuation orders and warnings for SLO County can be found at ReadySLO.org
Residents who need more time to evacuate should leave now. This can include people with disabilities, people with large animals, and others.
Temporary evacuation points have been established at:
- Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center, 4689 Highway 166, New Cuyama
- Benjamin Foxen Elementary School, 4949 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria
For large animal evacuations, the Santa Maria rodeo grounds is open with access via Gate 2. Those needing help transporting large animals can call 805.681.4332.
Domestic pets being evacuated can be taken to County Animal Services shelters in Santa Maria, Lompoc or Santa Barbara.
The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District has issued an Air Quality Alert for the Cuyama Valley and an Air Quality Watch for the rest of Santa Barbara County. For updates visit www.ourair.org.
