The fire sparked in the Los Padres National Forest in San Luis Obispo County and was growing exponentially, officials warned. The area is mostly uninhabited.

The Madre Fire is the largest wildfire in California in 2025 — surpassing the Los Angeles-area fires that devastated parts of the region in January.

A wildfire in a wilderness area of central California has exploded in size. Dry, hot weather is raising the fire risk for large portions of the state ahead of the July Fourth holiday.