The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning due to the potential for lightning and isolated thunderstorms across the Central Coast. The warning is in effect from 5am to 3pm Friday, Aug. 28 for the Salinas and Carmel valleys, Monterey Bay, the Big Sur Coast, interior Monterey County and Santa Lucia range.
“It's pretty much like everything west of 101 and then going up into the Santa Cruz mountains,” says Brian Garcia, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Garcia adds that the warning is specifically for dry thunderstorms, with little to no precipitation anticipated. Erratic winds of 40 to 50 mph are expected, which could result in rapid fire spread for any new or existing fires. There will also be an increased risk of power outages, according to the NWS alert.
Two fires are currently burning in Big Sur: The Timber Fire, which began Aug. 8, and the Plaskett Fire, which began Aug. 26. The cause of both fires is under investigation. For the latest evacuation information, visit Ready Monterey County.
The California Highway Patrol has closed Highway 1 between mile marker 50, near Old Coast Road just south of Andrew Molera State Park, and mile marker 42.6, about a half-mile south of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, to support fire operations until further notice.
The Timber Fire, currently the third-largest in the state this year, has burned more than 19,200 acres and is 21 percent contained as of 1pm on Aug. 27, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation orders for 11 zones have been issued with 661 structures threatened. No structures have been reported damaged or destroyed.
The fire has spread northeast into the Ventana Wilderness, with the southeast portion of the fire near Coast Ridge Trail, according to Cal Fire.
“It’s making those slow, methodical runs to the north,” says Josh Silveira, battalion chief with Cal Fire in Monterey County. “As we get burning material down into the drainages, once it’s in alignment with the fuel, topography and weather, we’re getting those upslope runs. So that’s why it’s been doing that kind of slow burn to the northeast.”
In order to help control perimeter lines, firefighters have been deploying what they call “dragon eggs,” or small ignition spheres to carefully burn vegetation between the wildfire and established control lines. There are a total of 1,228 total personnel assigned to the fire.
People under a shelter-in-place order in coastal areas west of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park are being told to be prepared to sustain themselves for at least seven days, according to the County of Monterey. The order applies to areas that have already burned and have secure fire lines.
“The weather we have experienced over the past several days, which has been labeled as critical fire weather, has been more normal for our area, especially in late August,” Big Sur Fire Chief Matt Harris said in a statement.
Around 25 to 30 miles south of the Timber Fire, the Plaskett Fire has burned 140 acres and is 0 percent contained. An evacuation order for one zone has been issued, with residents of Los Burros Road impacted most immediately, according to the statement from Big Sur Fire. The fire has been burning deep in a canyon with no vehicle access.
A virtual temporary evacuation point will be operated from 8am to 6pm until further notice from the Carmel Valley Branch Library to provide updated and reliable information on evacuation orders and warnings, refer evacuees to congregate shelter, and more. To call the TEP for information about evacuations and sheltering, call (831) 647-7760 or 800-322-6884 and press 1, then 4 to reach the library.
You can find an updated list of hotels in Monterey County offering discounted rates to fire evacuees here.