By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Plaskett and Timber fires near Big Sur, California, have together burned more than 50,000 acres, with the Plaskett fire nearly doubling in size over two days to become the state’s third-largest fire by acreage.
- The fires have forced a 50-mile closure of Highway 1 and shut down state parks and landmark businesses, including Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Nepenthe restaurant and the Big Sur River Inn.
- The Plaskett fire, which ignited Aug. 26, was 1% contained as of Tuesday evening; the Timber fire, which ignited Aug. 8, was 22% contained.
- Nearly 1,100 people have been evacuated due to the Timber fire; evacuation figures for the Plaskett fire were not available.
- About 3,000 personnel are battling the fires, and officials say cooler, more humid weather forecast through Friday should aid containment efforts; the cause of both fires remains under investigation.
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. — Two wildfires burning near Big Sur have together scorched more than 50,000 acres, closed a 50-mile stretch of Highway 1 and forced evacuations across the region, fire officials said this week.
The Plaskett fire, which ignited Aug. 26, grew aggressively over the weekend, expanding from 15,500 acres Monday morning to 26,700 acres by that afternoon — surpassing the Timber fire to become California’s third-largest wildfire by acreage, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. By Tuesday evening, the fire had grown to 29,000 acres and was 1% contained. The U.S. Forest Service attributed much of the growth along the fire’s eastern edge to steep terrain and thick fuels.
The Timber fire, which began Aug. 8 about 30 miles north of where the Plaskett fire later ignited, has burned approximately 25,200 acres and was 22% contained as of Tuesday evening after what officials described as “aggressive day and night firefighting” and improving weather conditions. The fire grew only about 33 acres on Tuesday, which a joint statement from the U.S. Forest Service and Monterey County Sheriff’s Office called a “minimal change.”
U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Lee Beyer said nearly 1,100 people have been evacuated because of the Timber fire; figures for Plaskett fire evacuations were not immediately available, though he noted that fire is burning in a more remote area. Mandatory evacuation orders, evacuation warnings and shelter-in-place orders have been issued across the region, with shelters opened at the Carmel Mission Inn and Cambria Veterans Memorial Hall.
The closures include a stretch of Highway 1 from Mile Marker 56 near the Little Sur River to Mile Marker 0.09 near the San Luis Obispo County line, along with Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and landmark businesses including Nepenthe restaurant, the Big Sur River Inn and the Henry Miller Memorial Library.
About 3,000 personnel, along with engines, helicopters, dozers and multiple air tankers, are assigned to the fires, according to CAL FIRE. Beyer said resources are sufficient given the limited number of other major fires currently burning statewide. Firefighters over the weekend wrapped the historic 1884 Pfeiffer homestead cabin in fire-resistant material to protect it from the flames.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office said cooler-than-average temperatures and a deepening marine layer are expected to improve overnight humidity recovery through Friday, which officials said should aid containment efforts. The cause of both fires remains under investigation.