The Gifford Fire was first reported Friday near the Gifford trailhead in Los Padres National Forest, around 15 miles east of Santa Maria. It quickly ballooned to more than 23,000 acres within 24 hours.

The Gifford fire has scorched more than 30,000 acres in less than two days in Los Padres National Forest as firefighters struggle to quell the blaze in the Sierra Madre mountains.

A wildfire that started Friday exploded over the weekend in Central California, burning over 65,000 acres, according to Cal Fire, with incoming warm weather possibly making it even harder to fight the blaze.