Madre fire spreads to 70,800 acres in rural San Luis Obispo County

The largest wildfire in California this year has grown to 70,800 acres in San Luis Obispo County and poses an immediate threat to life, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Madre fire sparked around 1 p.m. on Wednesday in a rural area of the county. The fire has burned one structure and is 10% contained, Cal Fire spokesperson Toni Davis said late Friday afternoon.

Hot, windy conditions along the Central Coast have fueled the fire’s spread, but the cause of the blaze remains under investigation. More than 200 people are under evacuation orders and 50 structures are threatened by the flames, Davis said.

A helicopter drops water on the Madre fire as it burns along Highway 166 on Thursday in San Luis Obispo County.

(Noah Berger/AP)

The Madre fire is more than triple the size of the Palisades fire, which burned 23,000 acres in coastal Los Angeles County in January, killing 12 people and destroying nearly 7,000 structures. The deadly Eaton fire in Altadena torched 14,000 acres and killed 18 people before it was extinguished.

Firefighting air tankers from across the state are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow, according to Cal Fire. More than 600 personnel and 46 fire engines are responding to the blaze.

Los Padres National Forest, Cal Fire San Luis Obispo and the Bureau of Land Management share jurisdiction over the Madre fire.