A massive wildfire on the Central Coast continues to grow, with only a slight increase in containment reported Tuesday.
As of Wednesday morning, the Gifford Fire had burned nearly 84,000 acres of land in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties and was 9% contained.
Heat, low humidity, and rugged terrain are continuing to make it difficult for firefighters to contain it, which began on Friday. Its cause is under investigation.
The fire is burning about 15 miles east of Santa Maria along Highway 166, which is closed between Santa Maria and New Cuyama. It's burning in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, with most of the land burned in the Los Padres National Forest.
While there are no communities in the area, more than 870 structures, including ranches and scattered homes, are threatened. So far, no structures have been reported lost, but multiple evacuation warnings exist for parts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
Three people have been injured.
Because of the rugged terrain, air tankers and helicopters have played a key role in the firefight.
With the Gifford Fire topping 80,000 acres burned Tuesday, it surpassed last month’s Madre Fire in size. It was just east of the Gifford Fire. It started July 2 and burned 80,000 acres of land before it was fully contained July 26.
