California Gifford Fire burns through hillside as blaze explodes in size

A fast-moving wildfire exploded in size late Friday in Southern California, triggering evacuations across two counties and sending firefighters scrambling.

The Gifford Fire started along Highway 166 west of Cayama on Friday afternoon and had already grown to over 30,500 acres by Saturday night, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire.

The fire is just 5% contained.

“The terrain and abundance of fuels have made suppression efforts challenging,” fire officials wrote. “But firefighters remain focused on a full-suppression strategy.”

Some evacuations have been ordered in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties near the Los Padres National Forest.

Time-lapse video from a camera atop Plowshare Peak showed the rapid spread of the flames as they marched up the hillside Friday night, nearly surrounding the camera.

The camera was still operational Saturday morning and for now it appeared the station had survived.

But firefighters will continue to face hot and gusty conditions battling the fire as Southern California is square in its summer dry season.

Temperatures this weekend are expected to reach the mid-upper 90s, with relative humidity readings in the teens and winds gusting to 25 mph.

There are no reports yet of any injuries or significant property damage.