The Soberanes Fire began at 8:48am on Friday, July 22, 2016 inย Garrapata State Park, about six miles south of Carmel, on the east side of Highway 1.ย The Weekly was on the scene later that morning when the blaze had doubled from 5 to 10 acres, then later in the day as it quickly grew to more than 500 acres by lunchtime.ย
Within two weeks the fire burned over 50,000 acres, and continues to grow.ย
Though mostly contained to the north and west โ preserving much of the Carmel Highlands, Rancho San Carlos, and Carmel Valley โ it is moving to the east and southeast further into the Los Padres National Forest and Big Sur.ย
Our ongoing coverage of the fire can be found below; we will continue to update this page as the Soberanes Fire develops.
Stories are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent news at the top.
To go directly to our list of ways to help, click here.ย
On the morning of Friday, July 22, Cal Fire crews responded to a fire that kicked up two miles up the Soberanes Canyon trail in Garrapata Stat…
Day 83 of the Soberanes Fire: Dark gray clouds loom over Big Surโs jagged hills and windy trails. The clouds billow above terrain that has bur…
It was in the afternoon of May 31, 1987, when a Pebble Beach resident spotted smoke rising from the canopy in a wooded area near the S.F.B Mor…
On night four of the Soberanes Fire, 23,500 acres had burned, 20 homes had already been destroyed and smoke plumes stretched north to San Fran…
Today was the expected full containment day of the Soberanes Fire, which has been burning since July 22, but weather conditions have delayed c…
The proposed date for full containment of the 129,395-acre Soberanes Fire burning in the Los Padres National Forest has been delayed for two w…
As the expected Soberanes Fireย containment date of Sept. 30 draws near, firefighters continue working to control active fire near Arroyo Seco.
Favorable weather conditions over the weekend helped firefighters further control the still-burning Soberanes Fire.
For more than a month, the Soberanes Fire burned through Big Sur at 60-percent containment, but fire officials are now decreasing that total.
New evacuation warnings have been issued for communities in Arroyo Seco as the Soberanes Fire continues to burn. Evacuation orders have also b…
The Soberanes Fire, which was started by an illegal campfire on July 22, has ravaged 100,428ย acres as of Monday morning.
Following Sand City's West End Celebration was an uncanny Saturday night thanks to a Soberanes Fire fundraiser fashion show by Community Palette.
In less than two weeks, the Chimney Fire, which started in San Luis Obispo County Aug. 13, has grown to almost half the size of the Soberanes …
The Soberanes Fire has been burning in Monterey County for over a month and Cal Fire's hopes to contain it before Sept. 30, but that can change.
Two separate wildfires are burning in the southern sections of Monterey County.
With over half of the Soberanes Fire having burned the Los Padres National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service is transitioning to take full comma…
Back when Madonna was reminding us "Papa Don't Preach" and Lionel Richie was "Dancing on the Ceiling," Magnus Toren got his start in the conce…
For six hours on Sunday, California Highway Patrol officers turned cars around at Point Sur Lighthouse in Big Sur as fire crews lit controlled…
Highway 1 will be closed to all traffic for 24 hours starting on Sunday afternoon.
Three weeks ago, the Soberanes Fire had barely reached 100 acres. Today, it is it 700 times that size.
Matthew Miller was hiking in Garrapata State Park on the morning of July 22, the day the Soberanes Fire started. The fire stretched about 50 f…
When a forest fire breaks out, the state incident management team kicks into gear, assessing its potential and putting out a call for support …
The moment couldโve been funny if it wasnโt so frustrating: The first photo Christopher Williams, 80, saw revealing the ruins of his Palo Colo…
While theyโre on shift, firefighters aim to get calories fast. Hereโs a look at some of their favorite snacks.
Facing the Soberanes fire head-on is not for the meek. Yet some long-time residents of the county didnโt run for their lives โ they didnโt eve…
This community is no stranger to fire, or firefighting on notoriously steep terrain that demands heavy equipment and tons of personnelโฆ
Recently a group of locals got so heated at the traffic Monterey Car Week might impose upon roads used to battle the Soberanes Fire they start…
In continued efforts to keep the Soberanes Fire from heading further into Big Sur, U.S. Forest Service Hotshot firemen torched the east side o…
Monterey Bay Aquarium has hosted some big night events.
A stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur will be closed for eight hours starting at 10pm Monday, according to California Highway Patrol.
Deep BreathingโฆSquid keeps having dreams of a shrimp barbecue, waking up to smoky air and realizing itโs just Squidโs sense of smell registeri…
UPDATE 08/08/2016 10AM: Palo Colorado residents are being allowed back into the area, but proof of residency and photo ID is required to pass …
Since July 22, the Soberanes Fire, which was started by an illegal campfire in Garrapata State Park, has burned over 55,000 acres and destroye…
Amid the chaos, loss and sadness of the Soberanes Fire, here emerges a small cupful of cute.
Early Wednesday morning, at about 1:30am, a man was driving up Tassajara Road when he came up to a roadblock. He says it was more like an ambu…
As the Soberanes Fire devastates homes and wildlands, residents, firefighters and property owners weigh in.
The difficult truth is starting to sink in: We've never seen a fire like this.
In the days after the Soberanes Fire broke out on July 22, it burned south into the Ventana Wilderness, in the northern portion of the Los Pad…
On July 26, authorities rescued seven people from Bottcherโs Gap, who were initially identified by Cal Fire officials as hikers. But Monterey …
The Soberanes Fire was started by an illegal, unattended campfire in Garrapata State Park, law enforcement and fire officials announced Tuesday.
Firefighters have set up shop at a newโand biggerโcommand station in Carmel Valley meant to serve the growing number of fire crews assisting i…
With the first day of school coming Aug. 10, the Red Cross has relocated its shelter from Carmel Middle School to All Saints Day School, where…
UPDATE: The Monterey County Sheriff's Office has begun making callsย using the Alert Monterey system to residents of Chachagua and Tassajara R…
Finally, a damp, foggy day on the coast help slow the spread of the Soberanes Fire somewhat, even as it continues growing. The fire burned ano…
While addressing a crowd of of more than one hundred people at Carmel Middle School Thursday evening, officials from multiple agencies attempt…
At noon last Friday, the Soberanes Fire, which started in Garrapata State Park, was at a mere 150 acres. A week later, the blaze has grown to …
In the summer of 2008, when the Basin Complex Fire raged though the Santa Lucia Mountains, Condor #477 was only a chick, and too young to flee…
People talk about loss, recovery โ and the powerful sense of community in the face of disaster.
In terms of acreage burned, the Soberanes Fire may not approach the biggest wildfires in Monterey County history โ the Marble Cone, Basin Comp…
More than 3,000 firefighters are working around the clock to put out the Soberanes Fire, rotating between shifts during the day and at night.
Fire evacuees are not just people. They also include at least 18 cats, two dogs, three horses, two parakeets, four baby turkeys, a tarantula, …
Friday night around dusk, my friend Jessica Neafsey finally decided to relax for the first time all day. She poured a glass of homemade Cabernetโฆ
ย The air in Palo Colorado was eerily cool and still on Sunday afternoon around 5pm, despite the 11,000-acre Soberanes Fire raging just across …
A group of illegal marijuana growers were smoked out of the wilderness during the Soberanes Fire and had to be rescued by authorities on Tuesday.
As crews progressed in containing the Soberanes Fire on Tuesday night, a bulldozer operator who was called to help battle the fire was killed …
As a soft, orange glow settles over the Monterey Peninsula and white ash drops from the sky due to the Soberanes Fire. Carmel Valley is also e…
More than 200 people gathered at Carmel River Elementary School Monday night for a meeting about the Soberanes Fire, and the mood among the cr…
As firefighters battle the Soberanes Fire on all sides, the last thing they needed was another fire. But around 12:30 Monday, officials receiv…
7PM UPDATE: The wildfire was 10-percent contained and burning 16,100 acres.
The air in Palo Colorado was eerily cool still on Sunday afternoon around 5pm, despite the 11,000-acre Soberanes Fire ranging just across the canyon.
A fire that started near the Soberanes Canyon Trailhead Friday morning grew to about 150 acres in just a few hours, but almost three days late…
UPDATE (07/24/16 8pm): Cal Fire issues mandatory evacuations for the communities of Palo Colorado, Old Coast,ย Rocky Creek and Bixby Creek road…
UPDATE, 9am Sunday July 24: PG&E has restored power to the affected area.ย
The Soberanes Fire keeps growing in all directions as of about 6:30pm Saturday. Cal Fire reports 6,500 acres are burned, and the fire is now 5…
Shifting winds and steep terrain are making the Soberanes Fire a difficult one for firefighters to control. The fire broke out at Garrapata St…
Fire crews from Salinas, Monterey, North Monterey County and Marina arrived in Big Sur at about 10pm Friday night to assess threats to homes i…
As of 11am Saturday morning, the Soberanes Fire had burned 1,800 acres and was at 0-percent containment, according to Cal Fire spokesman Jonat…
Residents of Palo Colorado and Garrapata Ridge were ordered to evacuate on Friday night as the Soberanes Fire headed south from its origin at …
As air tankers and helicopters flew up high, dropping bright red retardant over the growing Soberanes fire, tourists and hikers made their way…
2:30pm UPDATE: Cal Fire officials say the fire has grown to 153 acres. Highway 1 remains open and there have been no evacuations ordered.
(1) comment
[smile][thumbup] thank you for your continued great reporting on this incident. Information and updates are, as usual, hard to find, so anything you can do additionally to post links to other info sites, video, maps, and so on, will be so appreciated. You all really have taken the lead on this one, and as our only real community paper, that's a real good thing. Please keep up the excellent work, and push out that info as often as you can. ๐๐๐๐โค๏ธ
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