A fire that started Wednesday afternoon in Central California reached 35,000 acres within 12 hours, becoming the state’s biggest wildfire of the season.
The Madre Fire was reported shortly after noon Wednesday, July 2, along Highway 166 about 25 miles east of Santa Maria. The first evacuation orders were issued around 3:30 p.m., and by 1 a.m. Thursday the order covered 250 square miles of largely uninhabited land near Carrizo Plain.
The map above shows the evacuation area in red and the approximate perimeter as a black line. As of Thursday morning, Highway 166 was closed between Highway 101 and the community of New Cuyama.
Late Wednesday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection estimated the fire’s size at 35,530 acres (55 square miles). Previously, the biggest fire of the year was Palisades, at 23,448 acres.
For the latest updates and details of evacuations, including warning areas, see the emergency website of San Luis Obispo County or Santa Barbara County.
Related Posts:
- Madre Fire map: Evacuations for California’s largest wildfire of 2025 News A fire that started Wednesday afternoon in Central California reached 35,000 acres within 12 hours, becoming the state’s biggest wildfire of the season. Related Articles California’s former insurance commissioner wants oil and gas companies to pay for the home insurance crisis Santa Rosa photojournalist Kent Porter on the Yolo County…
- Explosion at a California fireworks warehouse sets off fires and forces evacuations News ESPARTO, Calif. (AP) — An explosion at a fireworks warehouse in northern California caused several fires, sending black smoke into the air and forcing evacuations, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Related Articles FBI says it plans to move headquarters to different location in Washington Son of…
- California is still the world’s fourth-largest economy News California remained the world’s fourth-largest economy as 2025 started by a narrow margin. This bragging-rights scorecard – a talking point among the state’s cheerleaders – has been filled with intrigue as the top of the chart changes along with global economic swings. The rankings involve comparing gross domestic product statistics…
- California is still the world’s fourth-largest economy News California remained the world’s fourth-largest economy as 2025 started by a narrow margin. This bragging-rights scorecard – a talking point among the state’s cheerleaders – has been filled with intrigue as the top of the chart changes along with global economic swings. The rankings involve comparing gross domestic product statistics…
- California is still the world’s fourth-largest economy News California remained the world’s fourth-largest economy as 2025 started by a narrow margin. This bragging-rights scorecard – a talking point among the state’s cheerleaders – has been filled with intrigue as the top of the chart changes along with global economic swings. The rankings involve comparing gross domestic product statistics…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)