Big Sur wildfire 20% contained, reduced to 1,050 acres
Update: Saturday 7:00 p.m.
“Due to updated aerial mapping the acreage of the Palo Colorado Canyon fire stands at 1,050 acres Saturday evening, and is now 20% contained.” according to Cal Fire Colorado Fire spokesperson, Cecile Juliette.
Julliette reported Saturday that only one structure, a yurt (a large, heavy tent), had been damaged by the fire.
According to the CALTRANS road conditions website, “Hwy 1 is closed from 5.5. miles north of Big Sur at Andrew Molera State Park to 21.4 miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea at Granite Canyon Bridge (Monterey County) due to the wildfire. (Note: The previous location was Hwy. 1 at Rio Road).
“An American Red Cross Shelter is open at Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923.” according to local television station, KSBW Monterey’s website.
“The SPCA will have emergency pet supplies available at the American Red Cross Shelter. People who need help evacuating their pets can call (831)-373-2631,” according to the station’s website.
Original Story
A wind-whipped fire that erupted in Big Sur grew to 1,500 acres overnight, Cal Fire said Saturday morning.
The Colorado Fire was first reported around 7:30 p.m., according to CHP’s traffic incident page, in the area of Palo Colorado Canyon and Rocky Creek.
Around 9:40 p.m., the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for all areas west of 3800 Palo Colorado Road to Highway 1 south of Bixby Creek. The evacuation orders are mandatory.
The National Weather Service tweeted early Saturday that the area burning appears to have “little or no fire history.”
“Anecdotally it seems as though the long-term drought is acting like a chronic illness where even recent rains and cold winter (weather ) isn’t helping to keep fires from developing,” the NWS tweeted.
Winds were a large factor in the fire’s original explosive growth, and those could return as a concern today, according to the weather agency. No rain is forecast for the area in the near future.
“It moved surprisingly fast for a fire around this time of year,” Cal Fire Assistant Chief George Nunez told the San Jose Mercury News in an interview. Nunez works in Cal Fire’s San Benito-Monterey unit.
“We had a little bit of moisture and it was cold last night, but because of the winds, it burned along the slope, catch another wind and then blew in another direction,” he said. He said 120 firefighters were working the blaze Friday night, according to the Mercury News.
The fire forced the closure of Highway 1 in both directions due.
According to Caltrans, the highway is now closed in both directions from near the entrance to Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur to Rio Road in Carmel.
Motorists are advised to be aware of emergency responders in those areas.
KCRA 3 reported the blaze was between 75 and 100 acres as of Friday evening, in an area that is difficult for Cal Fire crews to access.
The Monterey County Office of Emergency Services said Friday night it was monitoring the fire in support of law enforcement and fire personnel but did not provider further details on evacuations or emergency response.
According to the National Weather Service on Friday night, humidity in the area was in the teens with gusts of around 35 mph reported.
.jpg "AP22022292506794 (1).jpg")
This story was originally published January 22, 2022 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Big Sur wildfire 20% contained, reduced to 1,050 acres."
%20Cropped.jpg)