Residents evacuated as Soberanes Fire exceeds 1,000 acres.

Residents of Palo Colorado and Garrapata Ridge were ordered to evacuate on Friday night as the Soberanes Fire headed south from its origin at Garrapata State Park, growing to about 2,000 acres by midnight. 

As of midnight, Cal Fire officials report an imminent structure threat in Palo Colorado Canyon.  

Bulldozers are cutting roads on private property adjacent to Garrapata State Park in order to provide access to the fire. 

Residents say it was hard to distinguish the plume of smoke for most of the day, until the fog lifted in the late afternoon. And it wasn't until the wind shifted in the evening that the smell of smoke made its way into homes on Garrapata Ridge. 

Drivers heading south on Highway 1 past Carmel on Friday night witnessed the giant, orange glow of the growing fire on the horizon. The blaze started shortly before 9am on Friday and grew to over 150 acres by noon, but steep terrain and winds hindered fire crews from containing the fire. The state park was closed by noon and hikers were asked to leave the area.

The boy scouts currently at the camp off Palo Colorado Road, Camp Pico Blanco, are opting to spend the night in place. Monterey County sheriff's deputies and Cal Fire staff are expected to stay on site with the boy scouts overnight.

A local ham operator is at the boy scout camp and using the ham operator system to supply information about the camp's status, according to Monterey County spokesperson Maia Carroll. 

Highway 1 remains open in both directions. 

The Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter for evacuees at Carmel Middle School, located at 4380 Carmel Valley Road.