The Madre and Gifford fires have to date scorched more than 200,000 acres on the Central Coast. Why was the area so susceptible?

Gifford Fire initially started 3:44 p.m. Aug. 1 in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara County, California.

The Gifford Fire grew by around 3,000 acres overnight as fire crews initiated strategic burns and worked to corral the wildfire away from major population centers in San Luis Obispo County.

The Gifford Fire originated in the city of Solvang, about 15 miles northeast of Santa Maria, and was 37% contained as of Tuesday, fire officials said.

The Gifford Fire scorched 125,272 acres in California’s San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties by the evening of Tu2.

On the north side of the Gifford Fire, flames are burning in the Garcia Wilderness, a 14,000-acre portion of the Los Padres ...

Evacuation orders expanded to zones SLC-193, SLC-194, SLC-221, SLC-224, which include the areas of Pozo Road, Santa Margarita ...

The Gifford Fire has burned more than 122,000 acres in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, and it's still about 20 miles from Santa Margarita.