As of 7am Sunday, Aug. 16, U.S. Forest Service officials report that the Timber Fire in Big Sur has burned 4,869 acres and is 15-percent contained, and that fire lines built by hand and with bulldozers to protect the residential neighborhood at Partington Ridge are holding.
Overnight, firefighters reported that fire activity was minimal, and they have continued to keep the fire west of Big Sur River as a boundary. A marine layer has kept weather cool and map along the coast, but sunny, clear skies higher up layer mean National Weather Service officials anticipate lower humidity and potentially elevated fire conditions tonight, Aug. 16.
The fire remains most active with the most heat detected in the northern portion, noted on this map as Division P:
There are 2,177 personnel assigned to the Timber Fire as of Sunday morning.
Highway 1 between roughly Loma Vista Gallery at the north and Julie Pfeiffer Burns State Park at the south remains closed to the public. Parks and the Los Padres National Forest in the area remain closed.
Affected neighborhoods remain under evacuation order and the County of Monterey continues operating a center with resources for evacuees at Carmel Middle School. (Additional resources are available as well.)
The fire began just over a week ago on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 8 at the popular Timber Top hiking destination in the Los Padres National Forest.