Gifford Fire virtual community meeting Sunday night; containment increases to 89%

Gifford Fire officials will host a virtual community meeting on Sunday at 6 p.m. to provide an update on the fire and answer questions from the public. The meeting will be streamed live on the Los Padres National Forest’s and pages. Questions may be sent in advance to .

As of Sunday morning, the Gifford Fire is 89% contained and the acreage burned has been revised down to 131,589 acres.

Despite strong winds overnight on the ridge tops, fire officials say crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading beyond containment lines. Higher humidity overnight has also helped.

Firefighters are now focusing on mop-up operations and patrolling for smoldering embers, burning tree stumps, and other safety concerns. Along the south side of the fire, crews are reportedly conducting suppression rep