The blaze threatened about 450 structures and forced the closure of the highway in both directions east of Santa Maria, a city of about 110,000 people in Santa Barbara County

Temporary evacuation sites were established at Benjamin Foxen Elementary School in Santa Maria and the Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center in New Cuyama, Cal Fire said. The agency also reported that Highway 166 was closed between Highway 101 and New Cuyama.

The Gifford Fire continued to burn Monday in California’s Central Coast region, prompting expanded evacuation orders and road closures as the blaze grew to more than 65,000 acres. The fire, which ignited Friday afternoon northeast of Santa Maria in the Los Padres National Forest,