Dolan Fire evacuations shift as blaze near Big Sur burns 1,000 more acres
The Dolan Fire has been burning for nearly a month and continues to grow by the day, however it’s spread has slowed significantly since the Labor Day heatwave passed.
The fire’s shift to the south and east has prompted a change in evacuation warnings and orders.
As of Tuesday, the fire near Big Sur has burned 119,488 acres, an increase of 1,023 acres since Monday, according to the U.S. Forest Service. A total of 19 structures have been destroyed, and four others have been damaged.
The fire remained at 40% containment as 806 firefighters were working to extinguish the flames Tuesday morning, according to the Forest Service. The Forest Service was in unified command with Cal Fire and Fort Hunter-Liggett.
Firefighters were expected to face hot and dry weather conditions in the inland areas of the fire, however the forecast called for a marine layer along the coast.
The Forest Service said firefighters were preparing for a shift in winds from southwest to northwest that could change fire activity later this week.
Evacuation warnings, order lifted in some areas
The Partington, Big Creek and North Lucia areas were no longer under an evacuation warning, according to the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.
The areas in the northwest region of the fire’s perimeter were among the first to be evacuated when the fire was sparked by alleged arson Aug. 18.
South Lucia’s evacuation order was reduced to an evacuation warning, as of Tuesday, according to Monterey County. However, hotspots have been detected in the area, the county’s map showed.
Prewitt Ridge, South Coast Ridge, Zone 26, Zone 24 and Zone 28 remained under an evacuation order.
An evacuation order was also issued for Zone 27, from Santa Lucia Road south to Del Venture Road and from Road 5 to Reliz Canyon.
Evacuation warnings remained in place for Fort Hunter-Liggett, Gorda, Salmon Creek, Zone 14 West, Zone 25 and Zone 29.
Highway 1 remained closed from Gorda to Sycamore Draw Bridge, according to Caltrans.
For updated information, visit the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services Dolan Fire Evacuation Zones map here.
To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County, sign up for A!ert Monterey County.
Additional volunteer and donation information can be found at MontereyCo.Recovers.org.
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Dolan Fire evacuations shift as blaze near Big Sur burns 1,000 more acres."
