In Santa Margarita, smoke from the Gifford Fire coats the air.
“This is probably the most nervous I've been about a fire in a while," said Lauren Hammer, a Santa Margarita resident. "We've been watching it really closely."
With the fire only 20 miles away from northern San Luis Obispo County, community members went to Santa Margarita Elementary School on Sunday to get any information they could from agencies battling the Gifford Fire.
Rich Eagan with Incident Management District 5 says that for the last days, the north side of the fire has been the focus.
"We have hand crews. We have engines. We have dozers everywhere. We have aircraft. We're putting everything we can on this fire," he says.
In terms of an estimated date for full containment, wildfire managers say they're cautious to jump to any conclusion. For now, AJ Ponce, Gifford Fire Public Information Officer, says they're ultimately trying to prevent evacuation fatigue.
“When we issue warnings or orders for folks, they may find some other type of shelter. Then once we allow them back in, and if conditions were to change and we issue another order for them to leave, they may not be so inclined to do so given their previous experiences,” he explains.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office addressed concerns regarding looting and burglaries in evacuated homes, saying they are patrolling those areas to stop that from happening.
Speakers announced that New Life Student Center in Pismo Beach is open as an evacuation center and the Atascadero Bible Church is ready to open if needed.
Despite so many concerns, people in the Santa Margarita community say they appreciate all of the different agencies pulling together; they're especially proud of all the firefighters on the front lines.
“Cal Fire is amazing. If anyone can stop it, it’s going to be them,” says Chantelle Maldonado who attended the meeting.
The full question and answer session can be found here.
