Cal Fire hopes to contain Soberanes Fire before October.

The Soberanes Fire has been burning in Monterey County for over a month and Cal Fire's hopes to contain it before Sept. 30, but that can change.

“Our goal is to contain it before that time, but it is a rough estimate,” says Cal Fire spokesperson Rigo Herrera. “It’s a slow fire right now.”

The blaze, which started in Garrapata State Park on July 22 has burned 88,654 acres and destroyed 57 homes. 

The fire is active deep in the Los Padres Forest and in the Tassajara community, but both areas are comprised of steep terrain, which is hard to get fire crews into.

“We have been trying to get the sides of the fire controlled and move the fire more inland so there is a lower threat to structures,” says Herrera. “Fire travels pretty quickly in the steep hills.”

One thing helping fire crews, however, is the burned area in Los Padres National Forest from the 2008 Basin Complex fire, which scorched 162,000 acres.

“It is making slow progress through that area,” says Herrera.

While there are no fixed-wing air crafts helping put out hotspots, there are a dozen helicopters dropping water on a regular basis.

As of Wednesday morning, total fire personnel on the Soberanes Fire is fewer than 2,000.

On the southern border of Monterey County, another blaze erupted 10 days ago. The Chimney Fire broke out and has since burned nearly 41,000 acres, destroying 45 homes near Lake Nacimiento in San Luis Obispo County and 20 other structures. As of Wednesday it was at 39-percent containment and officials says it is burning northbound.

“Erratic afternoon winds cause the fire to go in all directions,” says Cal Fire spokesperson Brian Steiger. “We have crews working on all sides of the fire.”

The fire is burning through drought-stricken farmland, which is a mix of grass, brush and oak trees.

In relation to this fire, there are evacuation orders for the Bryson Hesperia community in Monterey County.