Gifford Fire containment is increasing, and fire officials say their backfiring operations are helping.
"It really will bring the fire to almost a screeching halt," said Mark Ruggiero, Gifford Fire Public Information Officer.
He broke down what he says is a very complicated process.
“We are bringing fire to meet the main fire,” he explained.
Ruggiero says that northwest of the Gifford Fire, crews have been intentionally setting burns.
“Using hand crews with drip torches and other things like that to put fire on the ground," Ruggiero said. "Then we have a blowtorch on the CAL FIRE helicopter that actually ignites it from the air.”
Ruggiero says the operation is complex, and if they don't pay close attention, a bigger problem could pop up. He says embers could start spot fires and the controlled burn could grow if they’re not extra careful.
“What we've done at this northwest corner is put in lots of contingency lines via dozer hand crews. We have a large amount of engines out there and aircraft supporting this operation,” Ruggiero said.
The stop-and-go plan is dependent on things like weather, winds, and topography.
“If there's a wind change or a high gust of wind, we will stop. We have fire crews right behind the burning crews with engines and hand crews, so if something happens, a spot fire occurs behind the crews, the crews are right there to get on the spot,” Ruggiero explained.
Locals say the Gifford Fire is making its presence known.
“I've been watching the smoke plumes off in the distance like everybody, and that's been very exciting and kind of scary," said Simone Smith, owner of the Educated Gardener in Santa Margarita.
Even when the fire is fully contained, Ruggiero says that the burns will continue within the containment lines.
“Residents may look up and see large columns of smoke and think, 'Oh my gosh, what happened?' That's going to occur. You'll see more smoke during this burning operation and that's expected," he explained. "There'll be smoke coming off this fire for some time.”
“Watching all the helicopters going by, it's just, it's very fascinating to watch the whole thing, and I'm so glad that we are safe,” Smith said.
Ruggiero says they are hoping to finish the current burn operation in the next 24 hours.
