Gifford Fire Becomes Largest California Fire of 2025, Officials Update Residents in Town Hall

The Gifford Fire in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties has officially become the largest fire in California this year.

As of Friday, August 8, the Gifford Fire has burned over 99,000 acres on either side of Highway 166 prompting numerous evacuation orders and threatening nearly 3,000 structures. Three people have been injured in relation to this fire.

Local officials held town hall events this week. On Wednesday officials were in New Cuyama and on Thursday evening they were in Sisquoc to provide updates and answer questions.

On Wednesday, Santa Barbara County Fire Deputy Chief Garrett Huff stated the initial fire response was to series of 4 roadside start fires in the forest along with CalFire and the Los Padres National Forest. The fire progression increased rapidly and was outside local resource capabilities so they ordered a Type 1 management team.

“This fire has been very interesting because, as you know, the winds change from hour to hour, minute to minute, day to day,” said Huff. “We’ve been having a hard time getting around it. We’re starting to make some progress, but it’s taken us a couple of days.”

Huff also mentioned that on August 15, nearly 46 years ago, four county firefighters died while battling a fire near the Spanish Ranch due to unpredictable winds.

He reminded everyone that the winds in that corridor are very dangerous, the Gifford Fire is a direct result of the wind and vegetation that hasn’t burned in a long time.

On Thursday, officials held another Town Hall in Sisquoc to answer questions about the fire’s behavior and ongoing efforts.

Fire behavior analyst Garrett Hazelton stated the winter rains gave increased the amount and the density of vegetation in the area.

Echoing the previous town hall, Hazelton stated the area has not burned in a long time. “The next closest fire is from 1912, and it was unnamed. And the next one that we see on the records is from 1950. So we have a lot of fuel loading out there,” he said.

#GiffordFire – Understanding Fire Behavior

This video shows how quickly fire can spread in dry grass when wind mixes with topography. Rising heat is channeled by the landscape, swirling into a fire whirl that can change direction suddenly and intensify in seconds.

These… pic.twitter.com/rr3X0bB829

— Scott Safechuck (@SBCFireInfo) August 7, 2025

On top of unpredictable winds, officials state having to hike on foot to the fire line decreases their ability to use heavy equipment.

As of Friday morning, officials stated that crews will continue building primary and secondary control lines between the power line corridor and Pine Ridge to contain the new growth that occurred on the northwest corner of the fire.

Elsewhere, on the east and west sides of the fire, crews will continue mop-up and patrol operations, with most of the line now holding from the Madre burn scar on the west side and the containment lines on the east. In the south, in the San Rafael Wilderness, crews are working to secure the fire’s edge by constructing handlines to connect with existing control lines.

Gifford Fire Officials will host another community meeting in Arroyo Grande Friday from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. to provide an update on the current situation and address questions. The meeting will be held at the Branch Elementary School (970 School Rd., Arroyo Grande, CA. 93420). It will also be broadcast virtually on Los Padres National Forest YouTube and the Facebook. Questions can be submitted in advance to 2025.gifford@firenet.gov.

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