The Gifford Fire, which started Friday next to the footprint of California’s biggest 2025 wildfire , quickly grew to more than 20,000 acres and prompted evacuation orders in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. Aug. 1 along Highway 166 east of Santa Maria; the first evacuation orders were issued around 4:30 p.m.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, it was estimated at 23,588 acres (37 square miles), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. It is already California’s second-biggest fire of the year, having surpassed Palisades.

The map above shows the evacuation area in red and the approximate fire perimeter as a black line. For updates and details of the evacuation, including warning areas, see the Genasys Protect map for Santa Barbar

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