Update: Fire near Big Sur grows to 8,500 acres as crews prepare to protect structures
Update, 10 p.m.:
The Dolan Fire burning south of Big Sur grew t0 8,500 acres Friday, still with no containment as of 10 p.m.
The fire is burning north of Limekiln State Park and is threatening the communities of Partington, Big Sur and Lucia, as well as multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
A total of 400 personnel are working the fire and focused Friday on preparing to protect structures at the north and south ends. On the north side, an evacuation warning for the Partington Ridge area was upgraded to an evacuation order.
The Forest Service said the goal was to keep the fire south of Partington Ridge, north of Nacimiento Fergusson Road, east of Highway 1 and west of Coast Ridge Road.
Most of the fire’s spread Friday was to the south, and crews used bulldozers to build a protection line near Hermitage.
The fire is burning in the scar of the Soberanes Fire.
Also Friday, the closure of Highway 1 was reduced and is now near mile marker 38/Troy Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.
The Forest Service is providing two daily written updates on the Dolan Fire. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov. A community meeting will be held on the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Original story:
Areas of north San Luis Obispo County continued to have some of the worst air quality in the world Friday morning as three fires in south Monterey County burned on, with two spreading further overnight.
The Dolan Fire about 10 miles south of Big Sur reached 6,780 acres by Thursday afternoon and did not grow further as of Friday morning, according to the Incident Information System.
The fire continued to “make active runs to the north, east and south” and remained 0% contained as of Friday morning, according to INCI.
The area east of Dolan Canyon was evacuated, and evacuations were in progress for Partington on Friday.
Highway 1 was closed from Ragged Point to Big Sur Wednesday and Caltrans has not provided an estimated reopening time.
According to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the following parks are closed for camping, hiking and day use:
- John Little State Natural Reserve
- Limekiln State Park
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
- Andrew Molera State Park
- Point Sur State Historic Park
- Garrapata State Park
- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Officials believe the Dolan Fire was started intentionally around 8 p.m. Tuesday in John Little State Nature Reserve south of Slates Hot Springs.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office arrested 30-year-old Fresno resident Ivan Geronimo Gomez on suspicion of arson of forest lands, according to a Sheriff’s Office Facebook post on Wednesday.
River Fire and Carmel Fire continue to spread
Just north of the Dolan Fire, the Carmel Fire near Carmel had burned 4,732 acres as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.
The fire remained 0% contained Friday morning, according to Cal Fire. However, Thursday night humidity slowed the fire’s progression, Cal Fire said.
The fire destroyed 28 structures, damaged two others and continued to threaten more than 400 as of Friday morning.
The River Fire near Salinas also grew overnight, scorching an additional 5,490 acres since Thursday. The fire was around 39,464 acres and 9% contained Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire reported the Salinas-area fire has destroyed 10 structures, damaged two and continued to threaten around 3,000 structures Friday.
According to Cal Fire, four firefighters have sustained minor injuries while battling the River Fire.
An evacuation center for all three fires is located at Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca at 1021 Highway 68, according to Cal Fire. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will provide water, snacks and information about assistance from the American Red Cross.
An evacuation shelter has been set up at Carmel Middle School at 4380 Carmel Valley Road, according to Cal Fire.
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Update: Fire near Big Sur grows to 8,500 acres as crews prepare to protect structures."
