Latest news with #AndrewMadsen
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
Roundup: Madre Fire burns in Carrizo monument area, more
The state's largest wildfire of the year has grown to almost 80,000 acres in San Luis Obispo County, resulting in the closure of a nature area, officials said July 5. The Madre Fire broke out shortly after 1 p.m. on July 2 along Highway 166. The blaze resulted in the closure of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, where it is burning, said Andrew Madsen, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. The fire has not claimed any homes, he said. Madsen said the monument is an ecologically sensitive area known for "superblooms" of wildflowers. The area is home to diverse communities of wildlife and plant species including several listed as threatened or endangered, according to a Bureau of Land Management website. The monument area encompasses more than 200,000 acres of land located north of Highway 166 and west of Highway 33. Federal and state officials said the wildfire remains active with wind-driven runs that allow for continued fire growth to the southeast. Hundreds of fire personnel have been involved in the response, a figure that reportedly includes firefighters from Ventura and Kern counties. Firefighters are attacking the blaze with water and retardant, Madsen said. A 15-year-old youth was caught with a loaded handgun on July 3 and arrested on suspicion of numerous firearm violations, Oxnard police said. Officers said they detained the individual with the 9mm weapon around 11 p.m. after attempting to contact a group of individuals in an alley in the 300 block of Cuesta del Mar. The others fled. The address is located north of Hueneme Road and west of Saviers Road in south Oxnard. Police ask that anyone with information on the case or other criminal activity contact the Oxnard Police Department at 805-385-7600, or online by clicking on the "Report Suspicious Activity" tab on the agency's website at This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Madre Fire reaches 80K acres, more news
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Madre fire in rural San Luis Obispo County grows to nearly 80,000 acres
A fire in rural San Luis Obispo County grew Friday night to nearly 80,000 acres and is California's largest this year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Madre fire started around 1 p.m. Wednesday, east of Santa Maria near the town of New Cayuma. More than 200 people were under mandatory evacuation orders, and roughly 50 structures were under threat Saturday morning. One building has burned. The cause of the fire, which has been fueled by heat and wind and is about 10% contained, is under investigation. The bulk of the fire is threatening the Carrizo Plain National Monument, which is home to several endangered and threatened wildlife and plant species. "This is a sparsely populated area," Los Padres National Forest spokesperson Andrew Madsen said. "As long as we keep the fire north of Highway 166, we will keep it out of the residential spots." More than 600 firefighting personnel and nearly 50 fire engines are responding to the blaze. Multiple air tankers are also battling the fire as conditions allow. Los Padres National Forest, Cal Fire San Luis Obispo and the Bureau of Land Management share jurisdiction over the fire. The Madre fire is more than triple the size of the Palisades fire, which burned 23,000 acres in coastal Los Angeles County nearly six months ago, killing 12 people and destroying nearly 7,000 structures. The Eaton fire in Altadena torched 14,000 acres and killed 18 people before it was extinguished. A heat wave is expected in Southern California from Tuesday through Friday, raising new concerns over the risk of fire. The peak is expected midweek, with high temperatures between 98 and 108 degrees anticipated in the lower mountains, valleys and deserts. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
