The Madre Fire, the largest wildfire this year in California, continued to burn over the holiday weekend, growing to 80,603 acres as of Monday afternoon.
Fire crews are hoping to contain the flames before temperatures begin to rise later in the week.
The Madre Fire started Wednesday near State Route 166 east of Santa Maria, by the border between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. The fire is burning in a low residential area, primarily in Los Padres National Forest and Bureau of Land Management in San Luis Obispo County, threatening 50 residential homes. As of 11:53 a.m. Pacific time Monday, the fire had been 30% contained, and evacuation orders and warnings remained in place, according to a Cal Fire Madre Fire incident report.
The maximum temperatures in the area of the fire were estimated to be around 80-90 degrees, and 10-15 mph wind and 30 mph gusts of wind were predicted to be blowing mostly from the west, according to a Madre Fire daily update report. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection report also said temperatures in the area will rise later in the week with valleys reaching temperatures in the 100s.
Darren McMillin, a spokesman for response efforts for the Madre Fire, told The Center Square Monday that fire crews are working 24/7 to connect different areas of containment to make as much progress before the weather begins to worsen.
“By the end of Tuesday, we are hoping to have all these things buttoned up so when it does get hot, dry and windy, we are in a really good place,” McMillin said.
McMillian also said the fire crews have already made a lot of progress and they are in a much better place than they were a couple of days ago.
“They are getting in there with dozers and handlines and crews and just connecting those dots,” McMillin said. “And they are making a lot of progress so we are optimistic.”
Cal Fire told The Center Square Monday that despite the progress fire crews are making on the fire, the department can’t predict how much of the fire will be contained in the next few days. That is because containing a wildfire can be a slow process because it is not only about putting down containment lines, but making sure the lines hold.
Cal Fire has assigned 1,472 personnel, 38 fire crews, 28 water tenders, 16 helicopters and many more resources to the Madre Fire. Cal Fire has also reported one confirmed firefighter injury and one confirmed destroyed structure caused by the fire.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
California’s previously largest wildfire this summer, the Wolf Fire in Riverside County, is now 95% contained and has charred 2,387 acres as of Monday afternoon, according to the Cal Fire website.
Evacuation orders have been lifted, but excavation warnings remain place for the areas immediately surrounds the fire’s perimeter.
Cal Fire also said firefighters are performing mop up and suppression repairs on the area affected by the Wolf Fire, as well as looking for hot spots and putting down containment lines.
