Twin Big Sur wildfires shut down Highway 1 as new blaze races toward coast
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With firefighters already struggling to contain the Timber fire in Big Sur, a second wildfire in the region grew rapidly Friday and into Saturday — sending flames in the direction of Highway 1.
The Plaskett fire, which ignited Tuesday in a remote area about 30 miles down the coast from where the Timber fire started, exploded from about 140 acres Thursday to roughly 5,924 acres by Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
As the Plaskett fire continues to grow, more evacuation orders and warnings were issued across the region. Most recently, the Los Padres National Forest issued an order, effective Friday night, establishing an emergency closure for the Monterey Ranger District.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira said the fire gained ground on Friday amid red flag weather conditions in the area.
As a result, he said, Cal Fire had difficulties flying a plane over the area and getting an accurate assessment of the territory it covered.
But by Saturday afternoon, weather conditions cleared, allowing Cal Fire to measure the fire at 8,241 acres. Additional evacuations were triggered as the fire moved south toward Gorda and later moved southeast toward Alder Peak.
“It’s growing consistently,” Silveira said.
Even as the temperatures drop to the 60s, people need to stay vigilant, he said, because with low humidity vegetation can still burn.
“We don’t want people to have a false sense of security,” Silveira said.
He said nearby residents can get updates on the social media of the U.S. Forest Service’s Los Padres National Forest branch.
Two shelters have been set up to accommodate evacuees of both the Plaskett and Timber fires, at the Carmel Mission Inn Conference Room and the Cambria Veterans Memorial Building,
The fire was approaching Highway 1 just south of Plaskett Ridge Road, the department said in a Friday afternoon update that included several photos where flames could be seen near the pivotal scenic highway.
It also warned, “fire behavior is beginning to increase.”
Silveira said the fire was still headed toward Highway 1 as of Friday evening. By Saturday morning, the department said in an update, one section of the fire — just south of Plaskett Ridge Road — made it to the edge of Highway 1, but not onto it. It was not immediately clear exactly how close it was to the road.
California Highway Patrol, which previously closed a 40-mile stretch of Highway 1 in the area of the fires, said Friday it had adjusted the bounds of the closure. The highway is now closed from Little Sur River (mile marker 56) in the north to Gorda (mile marker 10.1) in the south.
For those who make a living in tourism, the Timber fire marks nature’s latest blow to Big Sur, a beloved, yet often plagued, coastal locale.
Big Sur’s micro-climate makes firefighting complicated: The relative humidity drops at night, making fires grow rapidly, Silveira has said.
Cal Fire said in a posted update around 6 p.m. on Saturday that Highway 1 was still affected.
“Steep slopes, heavy fuels, and difficult access continue to create significant challenges for suppression resources,” Cal Fire said.
About 660 personnel have been assigned to the Plaskett fire, and 2,200 have been assigned to the Timber fire.
The Timber fire, which has been burning since Aug. 8, grew only slightly on Friday. It has burned about 24,839 acres so far, with 21% containment.
Lee Beyer, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service, said on Thursday that fires lasting from three to eight weeks are “pretty typical” for the region, due to the terrain and remoteness of the forest.
“Sometimes they’ll go all the way up until we get a season-ending rain or snow event,” he said. “When the fuels and the weather aren’t helping you, that certainly leaves it as a possibility that this could continue for at least a few more weeks.”
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