Dolan Fire containment increases to 45% as some evacuation orders lift
The Dolan Fire near Big Sur has been burning for a month and reached 127,724 acres as of Friday — and 27,876 of the fire’s acreage was on Fort Hunter-Liggett land, according to the military base.
The fire was believed to have been started by arson Aug. 18, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire grew 2,165 acres since Thursday morning. However, containment of the fire increased 5%, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
As of Friday morning, the fire had reached 45% containment, the Forest Service reported.
Firefighters on Thursday were able to finish a multi-day burn operation to connect containment lines along the south end of the fire, the Forest Service said.
Firefighters also completed structure protection measures in the Aroyo Seco, Coleman and Pine Canyon areas Thursday.
Cooler temperatures were forecast for Friday, according to the Forest Service. The lower temperatures and the marine layer along the coast were expected to help firefighters conduct more burn operations near Highway 1.
The Forest Service said it estimates that 100% containment will be reached Sept. 28.
Evacuation orders downshifted in some areas east of the fire
Evacuation orders in Monterey County’s Zone 26 and Zone 24 were reduced to evacuation warnings as of Friday, according to the Monterey County Officer of Emergency Services.
Prewitt Ridge, South Coast Ridge, Zone 27 and Zone 28 remained under an evacuation order.
Evacuation warnings remained in place for South Lucia, Fort Hunter-Liggett, Gorda, Salmon Creek, Zone 14 West, Zone 25 and Zone 29.
The Partington, Big Creek and North Lucia areas were no longer under evacuation warnings, according to the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.
Highway 1 remained closed from Gorda to Camaldoli Hermitage, near Lucia, 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 18, 2020 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Dolan Fire containment increases to 45% as some evacuation orders lift."
