Dolan Fire grows to nearly 20,000 acres and remains at 10% containment, officials say
The Dolan Fire grew to 19,287 acres by Sunday morning, up from about 14,000 acres Saturday morning primarily due to updated mapping, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service.
The fire remained at 10% containment, according to the release, and a Red Flag Warning is in effect Sunday until 5 p.m. due to the combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures.
These conditions will contribute to extreme fire behavior, according to the release. Additionally, thunderstorms with little to no precipitation are possible and will be accompanied by “erratic and gusty outflow winds” between 30 and 65 miles per hour in the area of the Dolan Fire, according to the release.
The Dolan Fire is burning in Monterey County off Highway 1 north of Limekiln State Park and south of Julie Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 10 miles south of Big Sur. The fire is burning along the coast for about 10 miles and stretches inland for about 2 miles, according to a map released Saturday by the U.S. Forest Service.
A Fresno man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of starting the Dolan Fire, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Ivan Geronimo Gomez, 30, was detained near where the fire was determined to have started, according to a Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
Highway 1 is now closed near mile marker 38 at Troy Canyon in the north and at Hermitage south of the fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Crews with the U.S. Forest Service throughout Saturday, into the night and early morning continued to focus on point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia to the South and Partington Ridge and Anderson Peak communications infrastructure to the North, according to the U.S. Forest Service, and the community of South Coast was secured.
On Sunday, fire crews will look for locations to build a fire line while extinguishing hotspots along Highway 1 and North Coast Ridge Road, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The winds are predicted to shift directions, the U.S. Forest Service said, from predominantly south-southeast to north-northwest, which will cause the fire to burn more actively in its northern end.
This shift in wind direction will help improve the air quality south of the fire in San Luis Obispo County, while decreasing the air quality north of the fire, especially around Carmel Valley and King City. The Air Quality Index for SLO County is about 81 as of Sunday morning, according to SLO County Air Pollution Control District, while it is about 170 in Monterey County, according to AirNow by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Because of the heavy smoke from the fire, aircraft availability and effectiveness will be limited, according to the U.S. Forest Service. However, when air quality and visibility improve, helicopters and additional aircraft will be able to support ground crews, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The Dolan Fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge and Lucia; and multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites. The Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species like the California condor are threatened as well, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Evacuation orders are in affect for the areas north and south of the fire. For an interactive map, visit the Monterey County of Emergency Services website.
Carmel Fire, River Fire still burning in Monterey County
In addition to the Dolan Fire, the Carmel and River fires are still burning in Monterey County.
The Carmel Fire grew to 6,695 acres as of Sunday morning, up from 4,732 on Friday morning. The fire, which is located off Cachagua and Carmel Valley roads south of Carmel, was 10% contained as of Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire.
The Carmel fire has damaged a total of seven structures and destroyed 47, according to Cal Fire.
The River Fire located near Pine Canyon and River Road east of Salinas in Monterey County grew to 48,424 acres and 15% containment Sunday morning, up from 39,464 acres and 9% containment Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.
The River fire has damaged a total of eight structures and destroyed 19, according to Cal Fire.
Several areas are under evacuation orders and warnings. An evacuation center for the Carmel and River fires is set up at Carmel Middle School at 4380 Carmel Valley Road in Carmel and at Sherwood Hall at 490 N. Main St. in Salinas.
Carmel Middle School and the Sherwood Hall are open 24 hours with the capacity to provide meals and sleeping accommodations, according to Cal Fire.
