Firefighters are making progress on the Gifford Fire, which has now burned more than 132,000 acres across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. As of Friday morning, the fire is 61% contained.
Fire officials say a strategic backfiring operation played a key role in increasing containment. Crews intentionally burned vegetation ahead of the fire’s path in order to deprive it of fuel.
“It was a very well-executed plan, took a lot of resources, but it made a huge difference,” said Mark Ruggiero, a public information officer for the Gifford Fire. “So the next step on this fire is of course to continue to suppress the fire. We do have a lot of unopened fire lines which we have to secure.”
Ruggiero said the operation helped take “a lot of steam out of the fire,” allowing crews to get closer to the active edge and complete containment lines, especially in remote and rugged areas as the Garcia Wilderness and the Manchesa Wilderness near Pozo.
This week, fire crews are focused on mopping up hot spots securing open fire lanes in those steep wilderness areas. Firefighters are also beginning early-stage rehabilitation efforts to prevent erosion, which can be a serious threat when winter rains arrive.
“A good example is Montecito,” said Ruggiero. “The Thomas fire, there was nothing to hold the soil. You get a big storm in, suddenly, what seems to be a little bit of rain downstream is a big giant flood, and that's what occurred in Montecito. So we do not want that to happen here.”
In 2018, deadly debris flows following the Thomas Fire killed more than 20 people in Montecito and destroyed more than 100 homes.
While conditions have improved and some firefighter numbers may start to scale back, full containment is still expected to take another one to two weeks. Officials emphasize that even when the fire reaches 100% containment, smoldering areas may continue to produce smoke for weeks.
Evacuation warnings and orders remain in place in some areas and nearly 1,800 structures are still considered threatened. At least five structures have been destroyed so far, including two homes. Nine injuries have been reported among the nearly 5,000 personnel assigned to the fire.
