July 11th, 2025
Wildfires started in central California on Wednesday, July 2nd, and continued burning days later. So far, the Madre Fire has burned over 80,000 acres, starting near Highway 166 in New Cuyama, San Luis Obispo County. Fire crews continue to make progress and have now contained 35% of the fire in the last day. So far, this is the largest wildfire in the US with only the Manitoba, CAN fire (490,000 acres burned) being larger in all of North America.
Unfortunately, the fire is still active, but the fire department is working to extinguish it completely. The cause of the fire will continue to be investigated by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Currently, they do not have a direct source of ignition, such as lightning, arson, or electricity. Officials will be able to determine more once interviews are completed. So far, 50 structures have been threatened, and it remains unclear whether the fire will be contained in time to save the buildings.
How Risk Logic Can Help
Risk Logic can help answer questions you may have or may not even realize you should ask. Are you located in a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) zone? Is your building exposed to ember attacks or radiant heat from wildfires? If you are at risk, are you adequately protected? RLI engineers can help answer these critical questions and apply best practices to conduct a thorough property assessment for WUI zones. We assess wildfire risk and provide clear, actionable recommendations to prevent or mitigate potential damage from wildland fires worldwide. Please contact RLI to see how to reduce your property’s wildfire exposure, and click here for additional articles on wildfires.
