Expanded evacuation orders as Big Sur wildfires grow

UPDATE Aug. 29, 6:51 p.m. The U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett has issued an evacuation order and warnings for several zones near the military installation as the Plaskett Fire continued to grow Saturday afternoon in southern Monterey County.

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Zone MRY-G012-A is under an evacuation order and zones MRY-G012-B and MRY-G011-A are under evacuation warnings. Zones can be found at AlertMRY.org/map.

Other areas under mandatory evacuation orders include zones MRY-F037, MRY-F034, MRY-F035, MRY-F036, and MRY-G016.

As of Saturday afternoon, the Plaskett Fire burned 8,241 acres. An evacuation shelter was established at the Veteran’s Building in Cambria, at 1000 Main St.

Residents under evacuation warnings should prepare as if an evacuation order could follow. The Monterey County Department of Emergency Management advises residents in these areas to get ready by packing a go-bag, gathering essential items, and making arrangements for pets or larger animals.

Aug. 29, 4:33 p.m. Expanded evacuation orders were issued Saturday for residents south of Los Burros Road in the unincorporated Big Sur area of Monterey County.

The first mandatory evacuation order was given at about 1:20 p.m. for zone MRY-F037. About 15 minutes later, residents in zones MRY-F038 and MRY-F039 were also told to leave immediately

The zones join zones MRY-F034, MRY-F035, MRY-F036, and MRY-G016 as areas that are under evacuation orders.

Zones can be found at alertMRY.org/map.

Multiple zones remained under evacuation warnings and orders to the north – in between the Plaskett and Timber fires, which had burned an estimated 30,000 acres as of Saturday.

An evacuation shelter was established at the Veteran’s Building in Cambria, at 1000 Main St.

A community briefing will provide updates on the fires at 4 p.m. Saturday at Cachagua Community Park, at 37700 Nason Road, in Cachagua. The meeting will be streamed online at https://www.youtube.com/c/MontereyCountyTV.

Aug. 28, 4:04 p.m. After nearly three weeks, two massive wildfires are continuing to grow in Big Sur, prompting new evacuations, highway shutdowns and business closures. 

The Timber Fire, which started Aug. 8 southeast of Loma Vista on a trail in Los Padres National Forest, is still blazing across the region. As of Friday afternoon, it has burned more than 23,000 acres and is at 21% containment, according to Cal Fire. 

The northern part of the fire reached the Manuel Peak area on Friday amid a red flag warning for the Central Coast as dry air and fierce winds continue to fuel the blaze, according to the U.S. Forest Service. 

As the Timber Fire burns along Highway 1, it is also “slopping over” containment lines in some areas, Cal Fire said in its latest update. There are 661 structures threatened by the fire, and 1,228 personnel are on the scene trying to contain the blaze, according to Cal Fire. 

Fire officials previously said the terrain is steep and difficult for fire crews to reach. 

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Also in Monterey County, the Plaskett Fire is continuing to grow after igniting Wednesday south of the Timber Fire, east of Los Burros Road in Plaskett, about 39 miles north of Cambria. 

The fire has burned 2,774 acres as of Friday afternoon with no containment, according to Cal Fire. Fire activity is also expected to pick up on Friday because of “rapidly changing weather,” including “erratic winds,” that could trigger spotting around the main fire, Cal Fire said in its update. 

The west side of the fire is also burning toward Highway 1. 

Cal Fire officials have not yet determined how many structures are threatened by the Plaskett Fire.

New evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for those living in the fire zones, and the latest information can be found on the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. 

A 40-mile stretch of the highway between the unincorporated area of Gorda and Captain Cooper Elementary School in Big Sur is currently closed as crews work to contain the fire, according to Caltrans. The agency is urging drivers to avoid “unnecessary travel” and use U.S. 101 as an alternate route. 

Several businesses in the area have been forced to close because of the wildfires, including Café Kevah, historic cliffside restaurant Nepenthe and Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn. The Henry Miller Memorial Library, also located along the highway, is closed until further notice.

“Do not come to Big Sur. This is an incredibly serious situation,” the library stated in an Instagram post. 

Magnus Toren, the library’s executive director, told SFGATE that he believes the library isn’t in danger, as most of the fuel uphill from the library has been burned already. In other places, though, he said residents with homes nearby, including himself, are nervous as firefighters carry out an operation to burn off surrounding fuel.

“It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s not terrifying until the fire actually is at your doorstep,” Toren said. “Until then, it’s more like nervous energy and apprehensive energy and a lot of connections between neighbors trying to help each other figure out what we all need as a collective in preparation for this coming our way.”

Toren said residents are also grappling with thick smoke in the air, especially as the Timber Fire has continued to burn for weeks. 

“The hardest thing to deal with [is] when the smoke suddenly gets thick and you can’t go anywhere,” Toren said. “There is a horrible sense of claustrophobia when you feel like you’re inside when you’re outside.” 

The state parks in the Big Sur area are also closed: Point Sur State Historic Park, Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

The Timber Fire is the third-largest wildfire of the year in California, behind the Biscar Fire, which burned 69,355 acres in Lassen County, and the Bug Fire, which burned 93,733 acres in Lassen and Sierra counties. 

The Bay City News Service contributed to this report.