Dolan Fire near Big Sur passes 100,000 acres, 14 structures destroyed
The Dolan Fire near Big Sur passed 100,000 acres as of Thursday morning.
However, the more than 17,800 acres of perimeter growth since Wednesday was primarily caused by firefighting burnout operations, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
According to the Forest Service, heavy smoke from fires around California, Oregon and Washington mixed with the marine layer and allowed firefighters to conduct burn operations to prevent further spread.
As of Thursday, the wildfire, which is believed to have been started by arson, was 111,382 acres and 26% contained, the Forest Service said.
The fire was under Unified Command with Fort Hunter-Liggett after the flames had reached the edge of the Monterey County military base.
Burnouts and aircraft retardant and water drops were conducted along Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, Del Venturi Road and around Fort Hunter-Liggett.
The Forest Service reported that 14 structures were destroyed and four more were damaged as of Thursday.
The Nacimiento Fire Station was among the 14 destroyed structures.
Fourteen firefighters who had been protecting the station along Nacimiento-Fergusson Road on Tuesday morning were forced to deploy their shelters as a last-ditch effort against the flames.
Three of the 14 firefighters were injured, and one was in critical condition Tuesday.
The injured were airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno and the remaining 11 firefighters were removed from the Dolan Fire assignment and are receiving care, according to the Forest Service.
Two of the injured firefighters were released by Thursday morning and the third was in stable condition and expected to be released within a few days, the Forest Service said.
Dolan Fire road closures and evacuations
While burn operations have helped slow the spread of fire in the south, the fire continues to grow in the north and east, according to the Forest Service.
As of Wednesday morning, the Highway 1 closure was pushed further south, extending from Ragged Point to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
Nacimiento-Fergusson Road was closed from Highway 1 to the Fort Hunter Liggett base boundary line and Los Burros Road, while Plaskett Ridge Road and South Coast Ridge Road are closed to everyone except residents, the forest service said.
Del Venturi Road and Red Grade Road near Fort Hunter Liggett were also closed, according to the military base.
Evacuation orders were in place for the Lucia, Prewitt Ridge, South Coast Ride Road, and Gorda areas. Memorial Park homes were also added to the list of mandatory evacuation areas.
The area affected by evacuation orders stretched along Highway 1 from Salmon Creek Falls to Anderson Canyon and from the coast to around five miles inland, according to the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.
To the east of the Dolan Fire, evacuation orders were issued Wednesday afternoon for Monterey County’s Zone 24, Zone 26 and Zone 28. The orders were issued around 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Zone 28 stretches from Santa Lucia Road south to Del Ventura Road and from Road 5 to Reliz Canyon.
Zone 24 evacuation areas are west of Reliz Canyon Road to the intersection of Arroyo Seco Road, south of Arroyo Seco Road to the intersection of Santa Lucia Trail. east of Santa Lucia Trail to the intersection of Bear Mountain Trail and north of Bear Mountain Trail to the intersection of Reliz Canyon Road.
Zone 26 covers the area west of Jamesburg Road to the intersection of Cahoon Ranch Road, south of Cahoon Ranch Road to Chews Ridge, east of Chews Ridge and Tassajara Road to the intersection of Tony Trail and east of Tony Trail to the intersection of Marble Peak Road. The area north of Marble Peak Road and Arroyo Seco Road were also under evacuation.
Further east of the mandatory evacuation zones, Zone 14 A West, Zone 25 and Zone 29 of Monterey County were under evacuation warnings as of Wednesday evening.
An advisory evacuation status was in effect in the areas east of Arroyo Seco Road and from Salmon Creek south to the border between Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.
Evacuation warnings were in place in the Big Creek and Partington areas north of the fire. To the east, Zone 24 and Zone 27 of Monterey County were also under evacuation warnings.
Fort Hunter Liggett was also under an evacuation warning as of Thursday morning.
Los Padres National Forest remained closed due to fire concerns.
Central Coast sees cooler weather
The marine layer returned to the Central Coast after a dry, hot weekend. The marine fog has helped reduce the fire’s activity overnight, according to the Forest Service.
Although smoke can be seen hanging over San Luis Obispo County, air quality throughout the county was forecast to be good due to light winds pushing some of the smoke south, the Forest Service said..
Firefighting efforts continued Thursday morning when firefighters were expected to scout for areas of potential containment along the north end of the fire.
Burnout operations were expected to continue in the south and firefighters were securing structures in Mill Creek from Kern Ridge to Highway 1, according to the Forest Service.
Structure protection work was being done near Hermitage, the Forest Service said, and indirect containment lines continued to be built east of Arroyo Seco to Lees Canyon and Fort Hunter-Liggett.
Where to go if you need to evacuate
An evacuation center is located north of the wildfire at the Local Assistance Center in the Monterey County Conference Center at 1 Portola Plaza in Monterey. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday, according to the office of emergency services.
To the east of the fire, an evacuation center has been set up at the King City Library, 402 Broadway St. in King City. That center is also open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Evacuees who are headed south to San Luis Obispo County may call 805-788-2307 for emergency sheltering, the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services said.
“We do know that we are receiving some evacuees from Monterey County, there are some coming in today and the OES is working with Red Cross to get them housed and situated,” San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services director Wade Horton said at a Wednesday news briefing.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 11:17 AM.
