A wildfire near the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County lines has burned more than 8,800 acres of land and closed Highway 166.
The Madre Fire started Wednesday afternoon, quickly mushrooming in size.
The fire is between Santa Maria and New Cuyama, north of Highway 166. The area is sparsely inhabited.
Andrew Madsen with the U.S. Forest Service told KCLU News that the fire has been burning east on federal land. He says 200+ firefighters and more than a half-dozen air tankers are battling the wind-driven blaze.
