There's been a lot of attention for the past 24 hours on new evacuation advisories and orders to the west of where the Carmel and River fires are currently burning, with predictions of changing weather coming around 5am Sunday morning.
But throughout today, prevailing winds continuing to blow from the northwest. A previous evacuation warning to the southeast of the River Fire has been changed to an evacuation order as of 5:35pm Saturday, Aug. 22. Officials are calling on everyone in the area to leave immediately.
On the northern flank of the fire, the evacuation area extends east all the way to River Road. On the east and southeast, the evacuation goes to Fort Romie Road and Arroyo Seco Road, and on the south and southwest, to Carmel Valley Road.
The region is dotted with homes, though it is not as densely populated as the areas to the west of the fire (like Carmel Valley Village).
The impacted area is, however, home to the heart of Monterey County wine country, covering Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards and numerous wineries, and grape harvest season has just begun. Besides residents, the evacuation order also applies to crews working in the vineyards.
The evacuation area now covers a huge swath of the vineyards that comprise the Santa Lucia Highlands, and includes wineries like Hahn, Wrath, Paraiso, Pisoni, Gallo, Boekenoogen and Jackson Family Wines.