A community meeting was held at the Five Cities Fire Authority station, which brought over 100 people who shared their questions and concerns about the Gifford Fire.
“I think a lot of people are concerned for themselves and their neighbors,” said Al Aleman, an Arroyo Grande resident.
Firefighters are battling tough terrain, winds, difficult access, and heavy fuels to fight the growing Gifford Fire.
“We are doing our best right now to put in contingency lines and contingency lines after," said Eva Grady, Cal Fire SLO captain. "We have evacuated the Huasna area to keep people safe."
“Our area was not an evacuation warning until about 4:30 this morning,” said Steve Loomis, an Arroyo Grande resident whose property is in the outer Huasna area.
Loomis says if an evacuation order is issued, he’s ready to stay and defend his land. “We are here for the duration. We’re not going anywhere," Loomis said. "I’ve got fire lines."
“When people don’t evacuate," Grady said. "We are more concerned with their safety than house or property."
An evacuation order was put in place Thursday afternoon for Lopez Lake. Al Aleman lives four miles from there. “I’m going to take my bulldozer out," Aleman said. "I’m going to cut a fire break on two sides of my property."
Some residents asked what they should do if they need to evacuate their properties. Cal Fire says to turn off their utilities and backup generators, as well as leave their gates open.
“That way we can do our best to keep their homes safe,” Grady said.
Aleman says he hopes people are preparing now.
“I tell everyone around me to have everything packed now and ready to go, so when they call you, you don’t have to start packing," Aleman said. "Everything is ready to go."
A second community meeting will be held in Arroyo Grande at the Branch Elementary School on Friday at 7 pm.
