Timber Fire Nears 25,000 Acres, Remains 21% Contained in Big Sur The Timber Fire has grown to 24,601 acres in Monterey County and remains 21% contained, according to a Saturday afternoon update from CAL FIRE. That’s an increase of 1,258 acres, or about 5.4%, from the 23,343 acres reported Friday morning. The fire has grown to 8,233 acres, or about 50.3%. as of Tuesday night, when it was reported there were 16,368 acres. Highway 1 Closure Highway 1 remains closed from south of Little Sur River at mile marker 56 to south of Salmon Creek at mile marker 2.1. The closure covers nearly 54 miles and will remain in effect until further notice. There is no estimated time for the road to reopen. The road remains closed due to falling rocks, rolling debris and trees weakened by the fire. Officials said falling rocks from steep slopes onto the highway have been a challenge as crews continue to assess conditions. Evacuation Orders and Warnings Residents should check the map for their specific evacuation zone. This content is imported from infogram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their website. Current evacuation orders are in effect. For:MRY-D082MRY-D089MRY-D090MRY-D091MRY-F015-AMRY-F015-BMRY-F015-CMRY-F016MRY-F017MRY-F020MR Y-F022MRY-F023-AMRY-F023-BMRY-F025MRY-F028-BMRY-F028-CMRY-F029MRY-F031MRY-F034MRY-G016Current Evacuation warnings are in effect. For:MRY-D078MRY-D084MRY-D085MRY-D086MRY-D088MRY-F014MRY-F027-BMRY-F028-AMRY-F0 28-DMRY-F030-AMRY-F030-BMRY-F031-BMRY-F032-AMRY-F032-BMRY-G015Shelter in Place Orders are in effect for:MRY-F018MRY-F019MRY-F021-AMRY-F021-BMRY-F024MRY-F026MRY-F027-AA Evacuation order means there is an immediate danger to life and residents must leave. A warning means there could be danger to life or property. People who need more time to evacuate should leave now. People under shelter-in-place orders who remain in the area should be prepared to live without outside help for at least seven days. Anyone who cannot remain self-sufficient must leave immediately. Residents should have food, water, medicine, fuel for generators and other essential supplies. They should also stay off closed roads and avoid areas where firefighters work. Fire Activity and Firefighting Efforts Firefighters and heavy equipment are located on existing containment lines from Bottchers Gap and Kincannon Road to the Los Padres Dam on the north side of the fire. Crews are also working along Coast Ridge Road on the southeast side. Firefighters spent Saturday improving those containment lines. Teams of experts are camping in the Ventana Wilderness and hiking to remote areas that bulldozers can’t reach. Helicopters are supporting teams on the front line due to limited access. Planned burning operations along Highway 1 near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park were completed Friday night and continued into Saturday. Ground crews are now clearing and patrolling the area. Some unburned vegetation within the fire perimeter continues to burn and produce smoke. Firefighters are monitoring those areas to make sure flames do not break through containment lines. Helicopters and water launchers will continue to support firefighters on the ground as conditions allow. Fire crews are also working with local environmental experts to protect sensitive areas, including archaeological and cultural sites, native plants, waterways and wildlife habitats. Those experts are helping crews avoid damaging water sources with fuel or fire retardant. Across the fire area, firefighters are connecting dozer lines, hand-dug trenches and roads to create stronger, continuous fire lines. Evacuation Center A shelter is open at the Carmel Mission Inn Conference Room, 3665 Rio Road in Carmel. For evacuation assistance, call the Virtual Temporary Emergency Evacuation Point hotline at 831-647-7760. Additional shelters are available at the Cambria Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main St. in Cambria. Additional information Tassajara Zen Mountain Center remains under evacuation order. The center canceled the remainder of its guest season and began evacuating students due to smoke and worsening air quality. The fire threatens 661 structures. The most recent information on the incident lists 1,600 personnel assigned to the fire, including 123 engines, 35 hand crews, 14 helicopters, 36 dozers and 34 tankers. The Timber Fire started on August 8 southeast of Loma Vista. His cause remains under investigation.
