Residents pack community meeting about the Soberanes Fire in Big Sur

UPDATE 7/27/2016 11:03 PM: Hundreds of people have been evacuated as the Soberanes Fire continues to burn south of Carmel. On Wednesday, concerned residents packed a community meeting at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, looking to Cal Fire for answers.

“We had to evacuate the mountain pretty quickly without being able to take much of anything,” said Lisa Kleissner of Big Sur. “The fire came, (then) a huge firestorm over the mountain and obliterated six of our structures.”

Kleissner said the structures were old — cabins built in the 1920s, now destroyed by the fire. All that’s left are memories.

“I can’t tell you enough that a day hasn’t gone by that I don’t think about one place or another up there that was so special to our family. It’s a real heartbreak, actually,” said Kleissner.

To help residents like Kleissner, officials with the Monterey County Officer of Emergency Services said they will be setting up local assistance centers.

“There will be folks there from DMV helping people if they’ve lost their driver’s license in the fire. We’ll have lots of information on insurance from the state insurance office,” said Dick Bower with the county OES.

Bower said once the fire dies down and they can look at all the damage, the centers will be set up where it’s convenient for those who’ve lost everything.

“We encourage people to pack ahead. If you know a fire is around, it could be coming your way, pack up your valuables, your important papers especially,” said Bower.

And while people in Big Sur are familiar with disaster, they also know how to support each other. Kleissner said she’s thankful she still has her home and plans to help those who weren’t so lucky.

“I’m going to take…my sorrow and my emotions and bury them into helping the community and other folks who have lost their homes and help get donations to them and help them rebuild,” said Kleissner.

UPDATE 7/27/2016 5:55 PM: KION reporter Monica Jacquez reports the meeting is now being held at the Campfire Center, inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

ORIGINAL POST: Fire officials will host a community meeting Wednesday evening to answer questions about the Soberanes Fire. The meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. at Big Sur Lodge, 47225 Highway 1 in Big Sur.

Representatives from Cal Fire, the USFS Los Padres National Forest, Monterey County and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office will be available to discuss the fire and recovery efforts.

The Soberanes Fire, now in its sixth day, has burned 23,568 acres and is 10 percent contained.