[Update: Tue., Aug. 5, 2025, 5:20pm] The Gifford Fire is now 83,933 acres and 7 percent contained, according to Inciweb. Fire officials will host a community meeting at Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center
4689 Highway 166, New Cuyama) on Wednesday, August 6, at 7-8 p.m. to provide the current fire situation and address questions. For those who cannot attend, this meeting will be recorded and posted on the Los Padres National Forest social media platforms.
[Original Story] The Gifford Fire has grown to 82,567 acres as of Tuesday morning, surpassing last month’s 80,779-acre Madre Fire as California’s largest wildfire of the year. The fire is now 7 percent contained, according to Inciweb.
The Gifford Fire is consuming a rural area near the border of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties after starting on Friday afternoon as four separate fires along State Route 166, which is closed between Highways 101 and 33. The incident management team, CalPF, has reported that 872 structures are threatened. However, great progress has been made along the west, north, and east flanks of the fire thanks to successful line construction, which can be seen from an Alert California wildfire camera. The southern flank of the fire has pushed south of State Route 166, causing a continuous fallout of smoke and ash that is affecting the Central Coast.
The southward push of the fire has also triggered new evacuation warnings Tuesday morning north of Foxen Canyon Road, east of Tepusquet Road, and west of Zaca Road. Up-to-date evacuation information is at ReadySBC.org and PrepareSLO.org.
CalPF reported that the resources fighting the fire include 125 engines, 39 hand crews, 23 bulldozers, and 30 water tenders. Two additional base camps are being established on the north and east sides of the fire to more efficiently get personnel in place to access the fire perimeter. The Air Operations group is reporting that today they will likely have 11 Type 1 and three Type 2 helicopters, with both aircrafts capable of delivering significant water drops.
For those affected by the decrease in air quality — which has resulted in an Air Quality Watch for the Cuyama area and an Air Quality Alert for the rest of the county — N95 masks are being distributed for free by Direct Relief in the following locations:
Hitching Post 2 Restaurant
406 E. Hwy 246, Buellton, CA 93427
(Direct Relief staff will be onsite distributing masks and sharing information)
Goleta: Direct Relief Headquarters
6100 Wallace Becknell Rd., Goleta, CA 93117
Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Public Library: Downtown Branch
40 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Public Library: Eastside Branch
1102 E. Montecito St., Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Montecito: Santa Barbara Public Library: Montecito Branch
1469 E. Valley Rd., Montecito, CA 93108
EVACUATION POINTS & COMMUNITY INFORMATION & RESOURCE CENTER
For sheltering assistance, please call the American Red Cross at (805) 678-3073.
Benjamin Foxen Elementary School, 4949 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria. (Temporary)
Residents can access this location for relief from the heat and smoke and other resources. N95 masks, water bottles, and incident information are available onsite.
Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center, 4689 Highway 166b, New Cuyama. (Temporary)
Residents can access this location for relief from the heat and smoke and other resources. N95 masks, water bottles, and incident information are available onsite.
ANIMAL EVACUATION ASSISTANCE:
Large Animals – please call the County Animal Services Disaster Hotline at (805) 681-4332.
The Elks Rodeo Grounds is open for large animal evacuation at 4040 Highway 101, Santa Maria. Enter the Morningside Drive Gate 2.
Small/domestic animal, the following locations are available:
548 W. Foster Rd., Santa Maria (open until 6 p.m.)
1501 W. Central Ave., Lompoc (open until 6 p.m.)
5473 Overpass Rd., Goleta (open until 6 p.m.)
111 Commerce Dr., Buellton (open to 5 p.m.)
