Homeowner loses home and trust in officials to protect it from fire.

The moment could’ve been funny if it wasn’t so frustrating: The first photo Christopher Williams, 80, saw revealing the ruins of his Palo Colorado home appeared in theThe Guardian.

Media – foreign media, no less, based 5,300 miles away – got to see his property before he did.

“A lot of people are furious the press got up there before we had the chance to see anything,” he says.

Williams hadn’t heard official word on the status of the places he owns, including two homes he rents to others. Updates on property were conspicuously absent at public meetings.

Day three of the Soberanes Fire, he ran out of patience.

“People want to know, ‘Do I have a house left?’” he says. “Residents have to have some way of knowing.”

He boarded a quad, and took a route he declines to disclose, circumventing the road closure. He motored up the canyon, dodging fallen trees and patches he says were still burning.

His survey included eight Upper Green Ridge houses. Each burned to the ground. His report on their status went to a neighborhood email listserve.

“My illegal trip was the only way they knew,” he says.

Fortunately his wife Susan and him carry fire insurance, though they’re confident State Farm will no longer offer it to Palo Colorado residents. They’re considering building yurts for their renters, who include popular chef Matt Millea, who’s lived there for a decade and a half.

As frustrated as Williams may be with Monterey County sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers blocking his direct passage home, his greatest frustration lies with State Parks (see News story).

“They’re leaving dangerous places open to irresponsible campers,” he says, referring to the campfire in Garrapata State Park responsible for starting the fire. “Unfortunately, the problem is only going to increase in the years ahead: The land will become drier; as Big Sur becomes more known and more popular, transients will increase in number, with more inexperienced hikers wanting to head to the backcountry. A lethal combination.

“If the State Parks officials had been more aware of the situation and acted on it, a life, vast sums of money, a great number of firefighters, and costly equipment would be spared,” he adds. “My neighbors and I might still have a place to come home to.”