Arroyo Grande residents attend community meeting regarding the Gifford Fire
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A community meeting on the Gifford Fire was held Friday night at a school in Arroyo Grande, where over 100 people asked questions and spoke about their concerns.
"The last recorded fire over here is 1919. And over here, 1950," said one Cal Fire official.
With 1,000,000 gallons of fire retardant dropped on the flames and more than 3,600 personnel fighting the fire..
Friday marks exactly one week since the Gifford Fire broke out and has since grown to over 100,000 acres.
"It's concerning and concerning for the future too," said George Hansen, a resident of Arroyo Grande.
"Our highest priority right now is [one corner of the area] and protecting [the community] of Arroyo Grande and Huasna Valley," the Cal Fire official declared.
Huasna Road, located just a short distance from where the meeting was held, has been under a soft closure at the school road intersection since Thursday.
"And just waiting for the other shoe to drop and move out," Hansen expressed.
Hansen started packing once he received an evacuation warning Thursday morning on his phone.
"Then, we started putting things in boxes and deciding which things are going to be left behind and which we are going to take," Hansen shared.
Arroyo Grande resident Regina Arons says people who live near Huasna have taken action.
"We've had nonstop horse trailers coming by because I'm right on the corner of Huasna. Trailer after trailer, just a lot of evacuation of animals going on," Arons spoke.
She attended the meeting because she wanted to find out what she can do to protect her property.
"If you have garden hoses around your house, have them ready for us to deploy," said another Cal Fire official.
Cal Fire officials say they are doing everything they can to keep both people and property safe.
"We have people in here 24/7 that are staffing these fire lines. They will never be unattended," the Cal Fire official said.
As of Sunday, the Gifford Fire has burned 117,524 acres and is 32% contained. To keep up-to-date with the fire, click here.
