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Gifford Fire grows to roughly 82,000 acres; county summarizes wildfire response and July 4 fireworks enforcement
Summary
County emergency staff updated the board that the Gifford Fire had burned about 82,000 acres with limited containment and activated the EOC; the sheriff and CAL FIRE also reported aggressive July 3–6 fireworks enforcement including drone use and hundreds of emergency calls.
San Luis Obispo County emergency managers and fire officials briefed the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 5 about wildfire activity and recent fireworks enforcement.
Scotty Jalbert, director with the Office of Emergency Services, said the Gifford Fire (started Aug. 1 along Highway 166) was burning in both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and was roughly 82,000 acres with about 7% containment. The county activated its emergency operations center at level 3, reported 10 evacuation orders (about 20 addresses) and 12 evacuation warnings (about 133 residents), listed road closures (Highway 166 from US‑101 to Perkins Road), opened temporary daytime information/charging centers and animal shelters, and launched a public phone assistance line. Jalbert also noted that 500 kV lines were shut down for operational and safety reasons, forcing Diablo Canyon to reduce power output to about 48% statewide; he directed residents to readyslo.org for incident updates.
Sheriff's Office and CAL FIRE representatives described enforcement and interdiction activity during the July 3–6 holiday weekend. Undersheriff Chad Nicholson said dispatch received more than 1,000 emergency calls on July 4 and deputies used drones to locate illegal fireworks and identify properties for civil enforcement under county code 6.32; the sheriff’s office cited 24 violations and reported seizure of several hundred pounds of illegal fireworks in coordination with CAL FIRE. CAL FIRE law‑enforcement staff reported about 100 contacts, three citations and roughly 250 pounds seized; the agencies also noted several fires under investigation that may have been started by fireworks.
The county’s public‑information officer summarized a campaign of press releases, PSAs and targeted outreach to valley media and community signage in neighborhoods with high illegal‑fireworks activity. Board members thanked staff and the task force and urged continued interdiction and broad public messaging before future holidays.
