The fire has scorched at least 131 square miles of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, with just 9% containment.

The Gifford Fire rages to more than 82,000 acres of destruction. The photos from the frontlines show how intense the California wildfire has become.

CAL FIRE wrote on X on Friday: "California is under a heat wave, bringing hot, dry, and windy conditions, making wildfires more likely to occur and to spread fast. When temps soar, even a tiny spark can ignite disaster."