As one of the closest towns to the flames, when the Madre Fire first broke out, New Cuyama was in the line of fire. Now that it has veered off Highway 166 and moved toward the Carrizo Plains National Monument area, people who live in the small town are feeling relieved.
"Hopefully we've dodged a bullet and it burns itself out over and over the next valley over and then we can move on with our summer," said Bob Carlson.
He has a ranch in New Cuyama and splits his time between there and Venice. This week's fire isn't the first one he's experienced this year.
"I just lived through the fires in L.A. where there's much more fuel, much more brush, so this feels more like a grass fire. Moves fast. Doesn't linger. And I think that's probably why it's so big and why it's moved so fast, but why it's, maybe less concerning at this point," Carlson said.
An employee at a gas station right next to the road closure in effect at the east end of Highway 166 says the Fourth of July is normally one of their busiest days of the year.
"It's on the way to the beach, so most people will stop, use the bathroom, get snacks and drink some beer. So, yeah, now that the road's closed, no one's coming through," said George Barakat, an employee at MK Gas in Cuyama.
With a lot of growth and little containment so far, fire officials say it's unclear when we may see full containment. Despite the fire moving away from New Cuyama, locals say they are still making sure they're prepared.
"I'm up here, just, up here to do some work around the ranch and make sure that the property is safe," Carlson said.
For the latest update on the fire as of Friday, click here.
