California wildfire, named Madre, engulfs over 79,000 acres, marking the largest blaze in the state for the year.
The Madre Fire, currently the largest wildfire in California this year, continues to burn in San Luis Obispo County. As of late Friday afternoon, the fire had grown to an estimated 70,800 acres, with the potential for further expansion. The cause of the fire, which started around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, remains under investigation by Cal Fire.
Containment efforts have been ongoing, with the fire currently approximately 10% contained as of Saturday morning. The fire is being managed by Los Padres National Forest, Cal Fire San Luis Obispo, and the Bureau of Land Management, with over 600 firefighting personnel on the scene. The response includes seven air tankers, two helicopters, multiple engines, and hand crews with 608 personnel.
The Madre Fire has posed a significant threat to structures, with at least one structure already burned and an estimated 50 additional structures under immediate threat from the flames. In response, more than 200 people have been issued mandatory evacuation orders, with evacuation warnings and highway closures also in effect.
The rapid spread of the Madre Fire has been exacerbated by hot, windy conditions along the Central Coast. Smoke from the fire has even spread over Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, as per the National Weather Service.
The Madre Fire comes after the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires earlier this year, which resulted in the death of 30 people, burned a combined total of 37,728 acres, and destroyed over 12,000 structures. Around 200,000 residents were forced to evacuate the Los Angeles area due to those fires.
In light of the Madre Fire, the U.S. Forest Service has issued a statement warning of potential dangers as the holiday weekend approaches. The Bureau of Land Management and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office are working alongside fire personnel to combat the fire.
For ongoing updates on the Madre Fire, refer to the official Cal Fire incident page for the fire. Stay safe, and heed all warnings and evacuation orders.
Breaking news: As wildfires continue to be a concern in California, the Madre Fire, currently the largest this year, spreads in San Luis Obispo County, posing a threat to numerous structures and prompting over 200 evacuation orders. Environmental-science experts from the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have issued warnings, urging caution during the upcoming holiday weekend. Meanwhile, the weather forecast predicts that the hot, windy conditions along the Central Coast might exacerbate the rapid fire spread, with smoke potentially spreading to Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Stay updated on the Madre Fire situation by checking the official Cal Fire incident page for the fire.
