Wildfire near Hwy. 46 now 60% contained. Here’s how much area burned

John Lynch, Kaytlyn Leslie
·2 min read
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As much of San Luis Obispo County sweltered under near-record-breaking temperatures, a wildfire sparked by downed power lines burst to life on Friday afternoon, burning more than 200 acres in the hills south of Highway 46 West.

The Green Fire, which was reported at 12:37 p.m., burned west toward the coast near Harmony throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

A slew of emergency crews and resources were called out to fight the blaze, including engines, tankers, bulldozers and an air-to-ground unit.

As of 7 p.m. Saturday, the Green Fire had burned 243 acres and was 60% contained.

As the fire grew, the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services issued an evacuation warning for Zone SLC-E111 — which includes much of the green space east of Harmony — advising people in the area to be ready to evacuate if conditions change.

The evacuation warning was lifted around 6:45 p.m. as containment on the fire grew, though residents in the area were told to “remain aware and drive carefully as fire crews are still working in the area.”

Flames from the Green Fire burn through chaparral in the hills south of Highway 46 West on Oct. 6, 2023.
Flames from the Green Fire burn through chaparral in the hills south of Highway 46 West on Oct. 6, 2023.

Cambria residents lose power as Green Fire grows

Meanwhile, more than 2,250 PG&E customers in the area lost power in a forced outage due to the downed lines, according to PG&E communications representative Carina Corral.

Power was restored to 2,247 customers at 2:55 p.m., while 53 customers remained without power, Corral said.

That number dropped to 42 customers without power as of 6:15 p.m., according to PG&E’s outage report map.

Inmate fire crew works on cutting fire line as crews battled the Green Fire south of Highway 46 West on Oct. 6, 2023.
Inmate fire crew works on cutting fire line as crews battled the Green Fire south of Highway 46 West on Oct. 6, 2023.

Warm weather conditions contribute to SLO County wildfire

The blaze erupted on a hotter-than-average day on the Central Coast.

According to the National Weather Service, winds were blowing 5 to 10 miles per hour near the blaze, with temperatures reaching 95 degrees and 20% humidity throughout the early afternoon.

Cal Fire, PG&E, Paso Robles Fire and SLO County sheriff’s deputies stage near the gate to the Negranti Ranch as crews battled the Green Fire south of Highway 46 West on Oct. 6, 2023.
Cal Fire, PG&E, Paso Robles Fire and SLO County sheriff’s deputies stage near the gate to the Negranti Ranch as crews battled the Green Fire south of Highway 46 West on Oct. 6, 2023.

Nearby, Santa Maria broke its daily heat record, while some San Luis Obispo County spots saw temperatures in the triple digits.

Around 3 p.m., onshore winds began gusting at 17 miles per hour in the area of the Green Fire, according to the NWS, and warm and dry conditions continued into the evening.

The agency said light offshore winds were expected to return overnight, with warm overnight lows and poor humidity recovery.

Smoke from a wildfire burning near Highway 46, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.
Smoke from a wildfire burning near Highway 46, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.