Big Sur wildfire doubles overnight as California crews battle another major blaze nearby
A wildfire in California’s Big Sur region doubled in size overnight and forced evacuations in Monterey County, where crews are already struggling with anothe...
A wildfire in California’s Big Sur region doubled in size overnight and forced evacuations in Monterey County, where crews are already struggling with another large blaze burning to the north. The Plaskett fire had scorched more than 5,900 acres by Friday and remained uncontained, Cal Fire said.
Remote terrain slows the response
The fire began on Tuesday. Since then, it has spread through steep coastal terrain that has made the work of ground crews difficult, with few roads offering access to the burn area. Firefighters have turned to helicopters and air tankers, dropping water on targeted spots as they try to slow the flames.
Those aerial attacks can help. But they cannot do everything. In Big Sur, the landscape often leaves crews with limited options once a fire starts moving fast.
Authorities did not say what sparked the blaze, and the cause remains under investigation.
Another fire is still burning to the north
The Plaskett fire is not the only concern for fire officials along this stretch of California coast. Farther north, the Timber fire continues to burn through more than 24,000 acres and is under 21% containment, according to the latest update cited by Cal Fire.
Smoke from that fire, along with cloud cover, kept officials from mapping how far it spread overnight. Authorities said the blaze broke past some containment lines, a sign of the pressure facing crews in the region. It was not immediately clear how much additional ground it had gained.
The two fires have also led to partial closures of Highway 1, the winding coastal route through Big Sur that connects the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas and draws travelers for its cliffside views and narrow turns. For residents, the closures add another layer of disruption to an already tense evacuation response.
Fire crews are expected to keep leaning on aircraft and any road access they can safely use as conditions allow. With one fire still uncontained and the other only partly surrounded, officials face a long stretch of monitoring, suppression and road restrictions along one of California’s most exposed fire corridors.
