Firefighters make progress on containing the Dolan Fire, lifting evacuation orders in Arroyo Seco area.

Containment of the Dolan Fire increased to 46 percent overnight on Friday, as firefighters continue working to control the fire on all sides. The fire, which started in Big Sur and has burned across the Los Padres National Forest to the north and east into the Arroyo Seco area and onto Fort Hunter Liggett, is at 128,050 acres.

With hot and dry weather in the weekend forecast, officials are keeping helicopters at the ready to drop retardant or water in case there are flareups near containment lines, to keep the fire from jumping those lines.

On the north end of the fire, structure protection has been a priority in the Arroyo Seco area and firefighters have had success. There have been no additional structures destroyed this week and "firefighters have seen little movement of the fire in recent days," according to an announcement from the U.S. Forest Service, which is in joint command of the fire along with the U.S. Army. 

That prompted officials on Friday to reopen the Arroyo Seco area which had been under evacuation order; it remains under an evacuation warning, meaning residents are free to return but should remain prepared to pack up and leave, depending on shifting wind and weather conditions.

On the southwestern end of the fire, a challenge has been and remains keeping burned material off Highway 1. Burned trees roll downhill, and on steep terrain land on the highway below. "Crews often must cut through downed trees to gain access to the fire area or leave for the day," the USFS reports. 

McKern Road is currently serving as a containment line, where the Dolan Fire has converged with controlled burns that firefighters lit on Wednesday along Prewitt Ridge. Winds pushing the fire to the north have created a chance for them to go in and cool and further contain that line.