Gifford Fire officials will host a virtual community meeting Monday at 6 p.m. to provide an update on the fire and answer questions from the public. The meeting will be streamed live on the Los Padres National Forest’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Questions may be sent in advance to 2025.gifford@firenet.gov.
The Gifford Fire broke out on August 1, along Highway 166 east of Santa Maria. It is 95% contained.
On Friday, officials revised the acreage burned due to improved mapping, reporting a slight increase to 131,614 acres. However, the fire has reportedly remained within its previous boundaries and no new growth has been seen.
All evacuation orders have been canceled, but some evacuation warnings remain in effect in San Luis Obispo County. Click here for the latest information on evacuation warnings.
More than 1,800 personnel remain assigned to the Gifford Fire. Much of their work currently includes mop-up and extinguishing hot spots within the fire’s perimeter.
Twelve firefighters have been reported injured, along with three civilian injuries. Five structures are confirmed destroyed.
The cause of the fire has not yet been released.
