Now spanning over 120,000 acres, residents concerned about the Gifford Fire had a chance to hear directly from fire officials Monday night.
"We have a ranch that is on the Cuesta Grade, both sides of the grade," said Sandy Ahearn. "We want to make sure what's going on."
Community members gathered at the San Luis Obispo Veterans Hall to ask questions and get answers from the unified command battling the fire.
Jahaira Zaragoza with Cal Fire discussed some of the topics with KSBY before the meeting. She says that
On the south end of the fire, Jahaira Zaragoza with CAL FIRE says the area was monitored by hotshot crews overnight, eliminating any smolders that may remain.
The bigger concern for firefighters right now is the fire's north side. The Garcia Wilderness is burning and Zaragoza says it's especially flammable.
"The Garcia Wilderness has no recorded fire since the data recording started in 1912," she said.
To tackle it, crews are planning to start a strategic burn north of the fire.
"We are intentionally setting fire on the ground on our terms, making sure that containment lines are in place, personnel is in place, our meteorologist is constantly observing," she said.
Zaragoza says that one of the most common questions they're getting right now is when Highway 166 will reopen. While she cannot say for certain, after driving the road recently, she says Caltrans is actively working on areas damaged by the fire.
Cathy Ahearn attended the meeting and is a teacher in the area. She says that with school starting, the smoke in the air is a concern.
"My students come back to school Thursday and they're going to be outside and there's smoke and everything. I want the kids to be safe," she said.
But officials assured residents at the meeting that in most areas of the county, air quality remains safe.
"Meteorology has been really conducive with lifting that smoke out and dispersing it, rather than having that smoke linger at ground level," said Carl Tupper, San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control Officer.
He says that the southeastern portion of the county, including the Carrizo Plain and California Valley, have seen the most smoke impact.
All in all, community members are grateful for the work of those on the front lines.
"We just want to say thank you to all the firefighters and all the service workers that are working super hard to absolutely try to get this fire under control. We appreciate them greatly," said Cathy Ahearn.
You can watch the full live stream of the question and answer session here.
