A wildfire in California’s San Luis Obispo County rapidly expanded overnight and was covering more than 52,600 acres by Thursday afternoon, prompting evacuation orders, closing part of a highway and sending thick smoke billowing into neighboring counties. It is the biggest wildfire the state has seen this year.
The blaze, called the Madre fire, started on Wednesday afternoon and is burning in a remote area in the mountains between the Central Coast and the Central Valley, in the Los Padres National Forest. It is near State Route 166, which connects the Central Coast to the southern San Joaquin Valley. A section of the highway has been closed, California’s Department of Transportation said.
The fire was about 5 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon, according to Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency. There was no reported damage to any structures, Cal Fire said, and the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
Fifty structures are threatened and 208 people have been evacuated, said Toni Davis, a spokesperson for Cal Fire.
“This is a very rural area with ranch land, rolling hills, lots of grass,” Ms. Davis said. “The vegetation is very dry.”
The fire tore across the western side of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, according to Cal Fire, burning through at least 11,500 acres of the natural preserve that is home to rare plant species and draws visitors in the spring to its wildfire blooms.
Fires can benefit wildflowers by helping native species germinate and killing off invasive plants that compete with flowers for sunlight, water and nutrients. Often vibrant displays occur in years after fires. But if a fire burns too hot, it can eliminate the seed bank of the native plants and leave an area exposed to invasions of nonnative plants.
“The hope would be that fire would benefit the landscape but we won’t know until after the fire is out,” said Philip Oviatt, a spokesman for the national monument.
The adjoining Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve was also affected, and flames burned the majority of the home range for the 100 tule elk herd that roam the south side of the reserve, said Dave Hacker, a senior environmental scientist with California Department of Fish and Wildlife in San Luis Obispo County.
“We don’t know whether it directly impacted any animals, we’re hoping not, but it was a pretty fast moving fire yesterday,” Mr. Hacker said.
California is bracing for an especially brutal summer of wildfires as it still recovers from the devastating blazes in Los Angeles in January. Forecasters are predicting exceptional heat, which could bring more large wildfires than usual. Federal agencies that assist with firefighting, prevention and recovery have also faced funding cuts this year.
Satellite imagery posted by the National Weather Service on Wednesday evening showed a cloud of smoke from the fire moving south toward Santa Barbara. Videos posted on social media by the U.S. Forest Service show glowing red flames above the mountains and the sky thick with smoke. Significant resources were deployed to the fire, including aircraft and bulldozers, the agency said.
Yan Zhuang is a Times reporter in Seoul who covers breaking news.
Amy Graff is a Times reporter covering weather, wildfires and earthquakes.
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