Gifford Fire grows out of control? Planes, 1000 firefighters put to douse raging blaze in California

Since August 1, the Gifford Fire has exploded across California’s Los Padres National Forest, burning over 72,000 acres in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. More than 1,000 firefighters, supported by aircraft, are battling the fast-moving wildfire fueled by hot, dry, and windy conditions. Hundreds of structures are threatened, new evacuation alerts have been issued, and officials say this is now one of California’s largest wildfires of the season.