The Gifford Fire, which started Friday next to the footprint of California’s biggest 2025 wildfire, quickly grew to more than 20,000 acres and prompted evacuation orders in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
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The fire was reported around 2 p.m. Aug. 1 along Highway 166 east of Santa Maria; the first evacuation orders were issued around 4:30 p.m.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, it was estimated at 23,588 acres (37 square miles), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. It was already California’s second-biggest fire of the year, having surpassed Palisades.
By Saturday afternoon, the evacuation area covered more than 400 square miles, coming within five miles of Santa Maria.
The map above shows the evacuation area in red and the approximate fire perimeter as a black line. For updates and details of the evacuation, including warning areas, see the Genasys Protect map for Santa Barbara County or the San Luis Obispo County emergency site.
The state’s biggest fire of the year is Madre, which started on July 2 in the same area, near Carrizo Plain. It burned 80,779 acres and was contained on July 26.
