The Gifford Fire, California’s largest wildfire of the year, is inching toward containment in San Luis Obispo County as firefighters work in sweltering heat and the rough terrain of the Garcia Wilderness.
The Incident Commanders stated the fire perimeter had reached 97 percent of black line by Friday, with 1,242 personnel remaining on the fire, which started August 1 along Highway 166 on the border of Santa Barbara and S.L.O. counties. The suppression work within the fire footprint has diminished over the past few days, and the work has turned to restoring the bulldozed and hand-cut line areas surrounding and within the Gifford against the winter rains.
About 400 miles of dozer line were cut to help contain the 131,614-acre fire, with as many as 157 bulldozers and 106 hand crews deployed during the extensive preparations for a successful backfiring operation in mid-August. Pulling out more than 150 miles of fire hose is a part of the cleanup and restoration work crews are now undertaking, as well as testing, washing, and rolling each of them up for the next fire.
All evacuation warnings and orders have been lifted, though some roads in San Luis Obispo County remain closed due to the fire. Parts of Los Padres National Forest affected by the fire will remain closed to recreation through February 28, 2026, mainly in the Santa Lucia and Mt. Pinos ranger districts.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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