Firefighters gain ground on California’s largest wildfire of the year

Firefighters on the ground and in the air are making significant progress in containing California’s largest wildfire of 2025.

The Madre Fire, which broke out shortly after 1 p.m. on July 2 on the Carrizo Plain in San Luis Obispo County, quickly grew to more than 52,000 acres within a day, surpassing the Palisades and Eaton wildfires from January in terms of size.

As of Monday morning, incident commanders said the fire had burned 80,480 acres and was 30% contained.

“Firefighters made good progress around the outer perimeter of the fire, creating direct and indirect lines, and increased containment,” officials said in a bulletin.

One structure has been destroyed, and one firefighter sustained an unspecified injury.

“Crews are working around the clock toward full suppression of the fire,” officials said.

More than 1,400 firefighting personnel are battling the blaze with the help of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

Several sparsely populated areas of San Luis Obispo County remain under evacuation orders and warnings. The cause of the fire is under investigation.