California blaze explodes in size amid rising heat, wind conditions

A wildfire in central California's wilderness rapidly expanded Thursday as hot, dry conditions heightened fire risks ahead of July Fourth. The Madre Fire, now the state's largest this year, scorched over 82 square miles (212 sq km) in San Luis Obispo County since Wednesday. Containment remained at just 10% by Thursday evening. The Madre Fire broke out on the afternoon of July 2 in a remote area of central California near Highway 166, according to Cal Fire. The fire rapidly spread to over 35,000 acres overnight as it burned through grasslands in a section of the Los Padres National Park.

California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said the fire started on federally managed land before spreading toward state areas. The governor's office noted that the state has "surged significant" Cal Fire resources to support the fire response and is working with federal and local partners. Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for tiny communities near State Route 166 as flames moved through hilly terrain toward the Carrizo Plain National Monument, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) east of Santa Maria. The region about 125 miles (200 kilometres) northwest of Los Angeles contains vast grasslands that draw visitors in the spring to see its wildflowers.

The fire was pushed by summer gusts that typically increase as the sun starts going down, said meteorologist Ryan Kittell with the National Weather Service. “The winds are pretty light during the day, but they do pick up pretty substantially in the afternoon and evening hours,” Kittell said. He said gusts could reach 40 mph (64 kph) later in the day Thursday, posing new challenges for firefighters working in 95-degree F heat (35 C). Dozens of smaller wildfires were burning across the state. Southern California's Wolf Fire reached 55% containment Thursday after charring more than 3.7 square miles (9.5 square kilometres) of dry brush since breaking out June 29 in Riverside County east of Los Angeles.