New evacuations ordered in SLO County as crews plan burns to slow Gifford Fire
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- Crews will begin overnight firing to slow Gifford Fire expansion near SLO County.
- Evacuation orders expanded to 36 zones; over 800 residents have evacuated.
- Fire burned 119,070 acres with 33% containment; 4,396 personnel deployed.
San Luis Obispo County issued new evacuation orders for the Gifford Fire on Monday morning, as crews planned a 36-hour burn operation to slow the massive blaze.
By Monday morning, California’s largest wildfire of the year had burned 119,070 acres and was 33% contained, the Los Padres National Forest said in a news release.
Gifford Fire officials planned to hold a meeting in San Luis Obispo on Monday evening to give an update and answer questions.
Also Monday, the SLO County Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation of a local emergency related to the Gifford Fire.
Local emergency proclamations allow local governments to access additional resources to respond to an emergency and give the ability to order mandatory evacuations, traffic control and restrictions on access to certain areas.
Overnight, the fire crossed northwest containment lines south of the Machesna Mountain wilderness and continued to move toward Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo, Nipomo, Santa Margarita, Pozo, the Huasna Valley and the Carrizo Plains, the Forest Service said.
Currently, 780 residents have evacuated, four structures have been destroyed and nearly 3,000 others are threatened, according to the Forest Service.
New evacuation orders were issued for Zones SLC-193, SLC-194, SLC-221 and SLC-224, according to ReadySLO. These zones were ordered to evacuate now. They include the area of Pozo Road, Santa Margarita Lake, Parkhill Road and River Road, west of Los Padres National Forest.
Evacuation warnings were issued for Zones SLC-172 and SLC-192. Residents in these zones should be prepared to evacuate if ordered. This area includes North of Santa Margarita Lake, South of Las Pilitas Road, West of the Los Padres National Forest and East of Pozo Road.
As of Monday morning, evacuations orders have been issued to the following zones in SLO County: LPF-009, LPF-010, LPF-011, LPF-012, LPF-013, LPF-014, LPF-015, LPF-016, LPF-017, LPF-018, LPF-019, SLC-222, SLC-223, SLC-225, SLC-239, SLC-240, SLC-259, SLC-260, SLC-261, SLC-262, SLC-263, SLC-264, SLC-296, SLC-297, SLC-298, SLC-311, SLC-334, SLC-335, SLC-336, SLC-337, SLC-193, SLC-194, SLC-221 and SLC-224.
The following evacuation warnings have been issued for these zones in SLO County: LPF-002, LPF-003, LPF-007, LPF-008, SLC-193, SLC-194, SLC-195, SLC-196, SLC-197, SLC-221, SLC-224, SLC-226, SLC-238, SLC-258, SLC-293, SLC-294, SLC-295, SLC-310, SLC-312, SLC-333, SLC-172 and SLC-192.
Meanwhile, five zones in Santa Barbara County have been downgraded from evacuation orders to warnings and one zone was returned to normal non-evacuation status.
Zones SBC-169-A, SBC-169-B, SBC-167-B, SBC-163-A and SBC-161-A which were previously under evacuation orders, are now only under evacuations warnings, according to the emergency response app Watch Duty.
The evacuation order for Zone SBC-159B was lifted and the area was returned to normal status, according to Watch Duty
Zones still under evacuation orders in Santa Barbara County include LPF-165, SBC-163-B, SBC-167 and SBC-167-A, according to the app. Zones SBC-161B, SBC-179 and SBC-229A are also under evacuation warnings.
In total, 4,396 personnel are fighting the fire. On Monday, crews planned to reinforce lines along Avenales Ranch Road, the Salinas Riverbed, Hi Mountain Road, Caldwell Trout Creek and the Huasna River.
Air quality was good in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria on Monday morning, according to the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program.
Crews to attack Gifford Fire with 36-hour firing operation
Crews are also preparing to launch a 36-hour strategic firing operation along the fire’s north perimeter starting Monday evening, weather conditions allowing, the national forest said.
The operation will reduce vegetation ahead of the main fire, depriving it of fuel and increasing chances of containment. Crews will use established control lines, ridges and roads around the Garcia wilderness for access and aerial ignitions for steep areas like Pine Ridge.
Holding crews will follow immediately behind ignition teams to contain the fire, with night-flying helicopters and water-dropping aircraft to assist ground crews as needed, though the operation’s success depends on favorable weather and manageable fire behavior.
Mostly clear skies and warm conditions are expected across the fire until Tuesday, followed by a cooling trend for the remainder of the week, the national forest said.
Community meeting to be held in SLO for Gifford Fire updates
Gifford Fire officials will host a community meeting at the Veterans Memorial Building in San Luis Obispo at 7 p.m. on Monday night to provide an update on the current situation and address questions.
The meeting will also be broadcast virtually on Los Padres National Forest YouTube and Facebook.
Questions from the community should be submitted in advance to 2025.gifford@firenet.gov.
SLO County declares local state of emergency
At an emergency SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday morning, the board declared a local state of emergency for the Southern and Eastern portions of SLO County due to the Gifford Fire.
At Monday’s emergency meeting, District 3 Supervisor and board chair Dawn Ortiz-Legg thanked first responders who have helped battle the “mega fire” on the Central Coast.
Supervisor Jimmy Paulding, whose District 4 is heavily impacted by the wildfires, praised the first responders’ work on the fire so far.
“Having attended some of the community meetings facilitated by our first responders, my comment is how impressed I am with the overall operation and response,” Paulding said. “They’re doing an amazing job, both the federal, state and local level, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 11:18 AM with the headline "New evacuations ordered in SLO County as crews plan burns to slow Gifford Fire."
