Madre

Firefighters on Sunday were gaining control over the massive Madre fire in San Luis Obispo County, which at more than 80,000 acres remains the largest in California so far this year.

Containment on the fire had reached 30% — up from 10% Saturday — buoyed by favorable weather and a flood of personnel, said Los Padres National Forest spokesperson Andrew Madsen. The fire grew slightly on Sunday to just over 80,000 acres in the rural area.

“We’ve got the resources we need,” Madsen said, “and the firefighters on the ground are making some good progress.”

The fire started around 1 p.m. Wednesday east of Santa Maria near the town of New Cayuma. More than 200 people were subject to mandatory evacuation orders, and roughly 50 structures were under threat as of Sunday afternoon. One building has burned. The cause of the fire, which has been fueled by heat and wind, is under investigation. Nearly 1,400 firefighting personnel were on scene.

The bulk of the fire is threatening the Carrizo Plain National Monument, which is home to several endangered and threatened wildlife and plant species. Los Padres National Forest, Cal Fire San Luis Obispo and the Bureau of Land Management share jurisdiction over the fire.

All BLM lands in the national monument are closed to public access until further notice for safety reasons.

Weather conditions were expected to hold steady through Monday before a midweek heat wave across Southern California could make the situation more challenging. Madsen said firefighters were hoping for continued progress over the next couple days.

Times staff writers Colleen Shalby and Caroline Petrow-Cohen contributed to this report.

July 4 (UPI) — The Madre Fire in central California expanded to 70,800 in two days, making it the largest wildfire this year in California.

In terms of size, the Madre Fire, at 110 square miles, is the largest wildfire in California this year, surpassing January’s Palisades and Eaton fires of 51,490 acres in densely populated Los Angeles County, Cal Fire said.

“As we approach the holiday weekend, the Madre Fire, the largest of 2025, is a stark reminder of potential dangers,” the U.S. Forest Service posted on Facebook on Thursday night.

Cal Fire is working with Bureau of Land Management and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office to fight the fire.’

No injuries are building damage was reported.

The wildfire was reported Wednesday afternoon in San Luis Obispo County and has grown substanially and was 10% contained as of Friday afternoon. On Wednesday, it was 200 acres but by early Thursday, it had grown to 35,530 acres and 5% contained and hit 54,000 Thursday night.

The New Cuyama area is about 60 miles west of Bakersfield and 50 miles east of Santa Maria. Despite being 125 miles northwest of Los Angeles, smoke was extending into Southern California. The South Coast Air Quality Management District on Thursday afternoon issued a smoke advisory for the Los Angeles area, including Santa Clarita, the San Gabriel Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains.

“With the current weather, terrain, and fuel conditions this fire has seen exponential growth in less than 24 hours in multiple counties surrounding the San Luis Obispo County area,” the U.S. Forest Service – Los Padres National Forest posted on Facebook on Thursday afternoon. “Smoke impacts will be far-reaching.”

The cause remains under investigation.

Residents in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties received evacuation orders and warnings, and Kern was added Friday. An evacuation center was set up at the California Valley Community Services District.

All Bureau of Land Management lands in Carrizo Plain National Monument are closed for public access.

Fifty structures have been threatened, according to Cal Fire.

Video from the University of California UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia camera network shows the fire spreading rapidly across the Carrizo Plain.

“The winds are pretty light during the day, but they do pick up pretty substantially in the afternoon and evening hours,” Ryan Kittell, with the National Weather Service, told KTLA-TV.

The 608 firefighters are contending with high winds.

Friday’s forecast in the area is a high of 75 degrees with humidity of 81% and calm winds, the National Weather Service said.

Bakersfield is forecast for a high in the lower 90s after a 102-degree high on Thursday.

Resources include 46 fire engines, 14 hand crews, five water tenders, four helicopters and seven bulldozers.