Plaskett Fire overtakes Timber Fire in size; over 50,000 acres burned in Big Sur

By Tim Fang

Two wildfires burning in California’s Big Sur region have burned more than 52,000 acres, officials said, as the fast-moving Plaskett Fire has now overtaken the Timber Fire in size.

According to Cal Fire, the fires are the two largest burning in the state as of Tuesday. The combined acreage burned is more than 78 square miles, an area larger than the city of Oakland.

“Aggressive Growth” on Plaskett Fire

Cal Fire officials said the Plaskett Fire burning in far southern Monterey County burned 27,580 acres as of about 9:25 a.m. Tuesday, up from 15,479 acres on Monday morning and 8,241 acres on Sunday morning. Containment remains at 1%.

“The fire continued aggressive growth during the previous operational period, primarily along the eastern perimeter as it pushes into Fort Hunter Liggett. Steep terrain and heavy fuels continue to drive fire behavior,” officials said in a Tuesday morning update.

In a statement on Monday, officials said the fire reached areas that had not burned in more than 50 years.

The fire, burning in far southern Monterey County east of the community of Plaskett, was first reported on the morning of August 26. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Timber Fire Update

The Timber Fire, burning about 25 miles to the north, has burned 25,190 acres as of Tuesday morning. Containment is at 22%.

“Crews continue strengthening established control lines and actively mopping up along the Highway 1 corridor, while suppression repair work continues from Pfeiffer Camp south,” officials said in their Tuesday morning update.

Officials added that crews were connecting completed dozer line in other parts of the fire to minimize the spread of the fire inland.

The Timber Fire was first reported on the night of Aug. 8 in the Los Padres National Forest. Officials have not determined the cause.

Cooler Weather Returning

Officials said Tuesday could provide improved conditions for firefighters, as an early season trough of low pressure is expected to bring unseasonably cool conditions and higher humidity to Big Sur.

Highs on Tuesday are expected to range from the 60s along the coast, to the 70s inland. On Tuesday night, officials said the front may generate light showers and drizzle, particularly around Big Sur and Pfeiffer Camp, but precipitation amounts will likely be a few hundredths of an inch at most.

Evacuation / Highway Closure Info

Multiple evacuation orders, evacuation warnings and shelter-in-place orders remain in effect for both the Plaskett and Timber fires. Most of the evacuation orders and warnings are in Monterey County, while three zones in northern San Luis Obispo County are under evacuation warnings.

Fire shelters have been established at the Carmel Mission Inn conference room in Carmel and the Cambria Veterans Memorial Building in Cambria.

Up-to-date evacuation information can be found at alertmry.org/alerts. A map of current evacuation orders and warnings can be found at project.genasys.com.

Meanwhile, Highway 1 continues to be closed to thru traffic along the Big Sur coast, Caltrans said. Officials have not provided an update on when the road would reopen.

To the north, a closure stretches from mile marker 56 near the Little Sur River to mile marker 45 near the Big Sur Post Office. Caltrans said a closure to the south stretches from the Monterey County / San Luis Obispo County line to mile marker 16 near Pacific Valley.