California’s Madre Fire on pace to burn 80,000 acres over 3 days

California’s Madre Fire, already recognized as the state’s largest this year, burned nearly 80,000 acres as of Saturday afternoon, July 5. The fire broke out Wednesday, July 2, in San Luis Obispo County, situated about 100 miles north of Los Angeles on California’s central coast.  

State and federal lands at risk

The fire is roughly 10% contained, as 608 personnel from the Los Padres National Forest, Cal Fire San Luis Obispo and Bureau of Land Management work to extinguish it. Some of the land the Madre Fire is scorching is federally owned, including the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

In a post on X, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office wrote, “The state remains in lockstep with our federal partners, and @CAL_FIRE has significantly increased air & ground resources in the last 24 hours to support joint efforts.”

Fourteen crews managing four helicopters, five water tenders, seven dozers and 46 engines have been deployed, according to Cal Fire.

Evacuation orders, closed roads

Meanwhile, evacuation orders have been issued, and State Route 166 from US 101 down to Santa Barbara County has been closed since Thursday, July 3. Smoke plumes have also drifted into Ventura County.

The Madre Fire is burning across a predominantly rural area with few residents. However, as of Friday, July 4, officials said about 50 structures, including homes, garages, barns and sheds, were at risk. Likewise, no injuries have been reported.

An incident report updated Saturday noted that “The area has minimal previous fire history,” and the vegetation fueling the fire is “positioned on steep nearly inaccessible terrain with limited access points for ground resources.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

California’s firefighting operation diminished

Earlier this week, the top military commander overseeing National Guard forces in Los Angeles asked the Trump administration to return 200 troops to California’s wildfire unit, which is currently operating at about 40% of its standard capacity. About 4,000 California National Guard members and roughly 700 active-duty Marines were deployed in early June to respond to protests over federal immigration raids. The protests have since decreased in intensity, prompting military leaders to evaluate redeployment options ahead of peak fire season.

At nearly 80,000 acres as of Saturday, the Madre Fire quickly surpassed the deadly Eaton and Palisades fires that devastated several Los Angeles communities in January.