A wildfire burning in central California has exploded to the largest one the state has seen so far this year. It is expected to expand in the coming days. CBS News' Jason Allen reports on the latest details.

Santa Maria

Fire crews in California are actively battling the Gifford fire, which has become the state's largest wildfire in 2025. The fire, located in Los Padres National Forest near Santa Maria, is being fought with both ground and aerial resources, including air tankers dropping fire retardant. 

Officials attribute the fire's rapid growth to dry vegetation, low humidity, high temperatures, and wind patterns. Smoke from the Gifford fire and other wildfires in California and Canada is causing hazardous air quality, affecting communities far from the fire zone. Additional wildfires have also prompted evacuations in San Bernardino National Forest and have been reported in Maui and Arizona.

How California is responding to Gifford Fire

the fire. Armed with shovels, picks, and weed whackers, this California fire crew marches out to battle the Gifford fire, with help from above, as an air tanker drops fire retardant over the dry land in Los Padres National Forest. Just to get out there to that fire edge, it takes an extreme amount of work, and you can't just always take vehicles out there. Santa Barbara County Fire's Scott Safechuck says dry vegetation has contributed to the fire's explosive growth. Low humidity, high temperatures, wind influence in alignment with drainages, that just allows for a perfect mixture that creates extreme fire behavior. The smoke that is just hanging in the canyons, not only from this fire, but others across California and Canada, is creating hazardous air quality across the country. Air quality even miles away from the fire can really affect community members, particularly elderly, children, people with respiratory issues like asthma. On Monday, the Gold Fire erupted east of Los Angeles, forcing campers to evacuate the San Bernardino National Forest. Meanwhile, in Maui, firefighters contained a brush fire after it scorched 33 acres. Residents are already on edge this week, as they mark two years since the deadly wildfires on the island. PTSD. We lost our house in Lahaina, so this is kind of scary to us. In Arizona, time-lapse video shows a wildfire in Grand Canyon National Park that's been burning for more than a month. Jason Allen, CBS News, Santa Maria, California.

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