Crews focus on Carmel Highlands Tuesday as Soberanes Fire rages

UPDATE 7/26/2016 10:45 PM:

Cal Fire says protecting the community of Carmel Highlands is a top priority in battling the 23,000-acre Soberanes Fire. That’s where many homes are dangerously close to the flames.

On Tuesday morning, a recon helicopter left Toro Park to survey the fire burning north of Big Sur to see what it is doing and where it is headed. The intelligence it gathered is helping an incident command team create battle plans for the 2,300 personnel responding to the scene.

“Talking to some of the firemen, it’s like a war strategy,” said Carmel Highlands resident Frank Lawrie. “The enemy is the fire. And its next move has to be studied, just like generals study what the enemy is doing and geography of what type of fight and equipment they have. It’s pretty analogous to the fire and what’s the fuel burning, how big are the flames, what’s the pattern of travel, so the firefighters are trying to stay one step ahead of that to fend off and put out the fire and mostly protect people in the path of danger.”

During a media briefing on Tuesday morning, Cal Fire incident commanders said their main objective was to gain control of the fire near the Highlands, where the fire conditions have “moderated.” The area is under an evacuation advisory. Frank Lawrie lives in an area surrounded by steep terrain.

“They’re saying we’re in a danger zone,” Lawrie said. “Right now, they’re able to head off the fire from getting to the homes in our area. But with the weather and patterns of travel of the fire, they can’t guarantee you’re out of the woods, no worries.”

Firefighters have gone through the neighborhoods posting yellow papers with critical information. The information lets crews know if there are available water sources, if there is defensible space and if there are people inside the home. It also alerts them to any sort of other hazards around their home.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is fully staffed and has been working with incident commanders. They have also gone out to issue evacuation orders when needed.

“We are staffed to patrol the areas that have been evacuated to prevent anybody who does not belong in the area, to keep them out,” Monterey County Sheriff Steve Bernal said.

Cal Fire said the Palo Colorado area isn’t seeing aggressive runs like earlier in the week but homes in the area are still threatened and crews are performing structure defense. While the fire has tapered off on the coast, other areas have been challenging with the fire continuing to burn aggressively.

“The next priority is down in the Los Padres National Forest and going into the wilderness areas so we can limit the growth of the fire into the wilderness,” said Operations Chief Mark Brown. “Followed by Division Charlie, which is the Rancho San Carlos area and Williams Canyon. Crews are working to get around it today.”

Aircraft was used to reinforce the containment line and it also kept troops on the ground safe. However, the weather doesn’t always cooperate.

“There’s good and bad with their aircraft being able to fly,” Brown said. “When the aircraft can’t fly that means there’s atmospheric conditions that don’t allow for active fire growth. When the weather conditions allow for the aircraft to fly, that’s the same conditions that allow for active fire growth.”

Crews originally had an expected containment date of July 31. That has since been moved to Friday, August 5.

PREVIOUS STORY 7/26/2016: Fire officials say Carmel Highlands is a major area of concern for firefighters battling the Soberanes Fire along Highway 1 in Big Sur. Cal Fire officials say the terrain is not as challenging as other areas, but is more densely populated.

KION’s Mariana Hicks was briefed this morning on the firefighting efforts and will report on today’s progress during tonight’s newscasts at 5 and 6 p.m.

PREVIOUS STORY 7/25/16: The U.S. Forest Service is ordering mandatory evacuations for parts of the Carmel Highlands area.

The evacuations issued Monday afternoon cover Corona Road east of Highway 1 and Riley Ranch Road east of Highway 1.

Officials say residents should leave these areas immediately and make sure to take any medications, pets, and family valuables. Residents are advised to close all windows and leave all doors closed.

An evacuation center is opened at the Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Road in Carmel.

Fire officials recommend all residents be ready to react to the Soberanes Fire by creating defensible space, guarding homes against flying embers, and preparing to evacuate if ordered.

Evacuation and safety information is available at: www.readyforwildfire.org.

For more information, call the Soberanes Fire Information Line at (831) 204-0446 or visit CAL FIRE online at: www.fire.ca.gov.