We’ve had not just one fire, but two this summer.
Both started along Highway 166’s lonely stretch of two-lane road and lapped up vegetation, grassland, and oak-studded hills stretching through federal land—Los Padres National Forest, Carrizo Plain National Monument, the Caliente Mountain Wilderness Study Area, the Garcia Wilderness—threatened ranches, remote houses, county parks, cattle, crops, livestock, and lakes.
The Madre Fire, which started on July 2, was active for 24 days, damaged one structure, and injured two firefighters. It incinerated 80,000 acres in San Luis Obispo County, and kept 166 closed for days.
The Gifford Fire, which started on Aug. 1, is still going, had destroyed three structures and injured three civilians and nine firefighters as of Aug. 19. It ate up 131,000 acres and was 95 percent contained. At the fire’s height, 5,000 personnel were assigned to fight the inferno, split between two fire camps—one at the Elks Rodeo Grounds in Santa Maria and one at Santa Margarita Ranch in Santa Margarita.
Highway 166 was closed and is now open, but damaged.
That’s more than 200,000 acres in one summer. Acres and acres of wilderness are damaged and destroyed, but we got lucky. Lucky that more structures weren’t lost, more people weren’t injured, more infrastructure wasn’t destroyed.
And today, the Sun is putting out its annual Best of Northern Santa Barbara County issue. I’d like to nominate firefighters, contractors, and adjacent personnel as one of our winners, so I can cheer for them and all that they’ve endured over the past two months to keep our communities as safe as possible.
They came from everywhere. I saw fire trucks with cities and counties from all over the state driving along Highway 101 between Santa Maria and Santa Margarita. Dust- and ash-covered fire engines, water tenders, and trucks in overcast shades of green, red, and blue carrying those who choose to fight fire.
They dug dirt, bulldozed containment lines, set backfires, and hiked with pounds and pounds on their backs. Helicopters from Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service carried load after load of water, set backfires, and helped target hotspots. Planes dropped retardant. It was a monumental effort to get the flames under control and also time away from home, family, friends, and comfort for those assigned to it.
I’d also like to nominate all the volunteers who gave their time and compassion to others—to those who needed it—during the fires. They’re also winners!
Those Red Cross workers who came from other areas to man shelters, pass out water and information, and give comfort. The Horse Emergency Evacuation Team and Varian Equestrian Center that made space to ensure that more than just humans had a safe place to evacuate to.
We need all of that and more when emergencies, natural disasters, and unforeseen events bear down on the Central Coast. It’s nice to know that we aren’t always split into opposing sides, that we can come together when we need to, we can pull for one another and pool our resources to work toward a common goal, to get through a harsh reality together.
Maybe we’re all winners today.
The Canary is looking for positive vibes only. Send some to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 21-31, 2025.