As of Saturday, only 21% of the wildfires in Southern California that have threatened numerous homes remain active, with officials indicating that the flames are exhibiting “extreme” behavior due to high humidity and summer temperatures.
The Gifford Fire, which ignited on August 1, has led to evacuation orders and has consumed over 104,000 acres in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Evacuation alerts are still in place in these areas.
Nearly 3,600 firefighters are currently battling the blaze under hot and dry conditions.
“We’re dealing with hot weather and relatively low humidity,” noted Captain Scott Safecheck of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. “This is why we anticipate extreme fire behavior.”
The damage from the Gifford Fire has already exceeded that of the Madre fire in San Luis Obispo County last month, which burned around 80,000 acres before being contained.
The firefighting effort includes nearly 100 hand crews, 267 engines, 98 water tenders, 21 helicopters, and 142 bulldozers, according to reports.
The fire is still active in the Los Padres National Forest, where local crews have been reporting “two big smoke columns” as the blaze has persisted for two days.
In addition, the Canyon Fire, which started Thursday afternoon, has charred more than 5,000 acres across Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
As of Saturday morning, the Canyon Fire was only 28% contained, but evacuation orders have been lifted for both Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
On Friday, authorities rescinded the evacuation orders, with 400 firefighters managing to work more effectively due to cooler conditions and aerial support assisting in slowing the flames.
The cause of the California wildfires remains under investigation.
