TL;DR: Plaskett Fire reaches 15,479 acres with new Sunday evacuation order

TL;DR: The Plaskett Fire grew to 15,479 acres with 1% containment by Sunday afternoon, adding zone MRY-F038 to existing evacuation orders and keeping Highway 1 closed for nearly 54 miles.

According to NBC Bay Area, new evacuation orders and evacuation warnings were issued on Saturday due to the Plaskett Fire burning in Monterey County. According to KSBW, the fire reached 15,479 acres with 1% containment in a Sunday afternoon CAL FIRE update, up 7,238 acres from 8,241 acres reported Saturday afternoon.

How big the Plaskett Fire grew over the weekend

CAL FIRE reported 8,241 acres with 0% containment for the Plaskett Fire as of Saturday afternoon, alongside 24,601 acres with 21% containment for the Timber Fire, according to NBC Bay Area.

By Sunday afternoon, CAL FIRE reported 15,479 acres with 1% containment for the Plaskett Fire, according to KSBW. That increase of 7,238 acres represents approximately 87.8% growth from the Saturday afternoon figure.

The Plaskett Fire was reported on Wednesday, a few weeks after the Timber Fire erupted on Aug. 8, according to NBC Bay Area. Both wildfires are burning along the Big Sur coast.

The Plaskett Fire has shown the most growth on its eastern side toward Fort Hunter Liggett and to the south, according to KSBW. Fire activity has also backed toward Highway 1 near the Jade Cove area.

South of Willow Creek, crews are using roads, ridges and other natural features to help slow the fire, according to KSBW. Firefighters are cooling hot spots along the fire's edge to prevent additional spread and spot fires.

Cooler weather and higher humidity are expected over the next several days, according to KSBW. Firefighters plan to take advantage of the more favorable conditions to use direct containment tactics whenever possible.

New Saturday evacuation orders for the Plaskett Fire

On Saturday, at around 3 p.m., the United States Army Garrison – Fort Hunter Liggett issued an evacuation order for zone MRY-G012-A and an evacuation warning for the zones MRY-G011-A and MRY-G012-B, according to NBC Bay Area.

Hours earlier, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation order for the zone MRY-F037 and an evacuation warning for the zones RY-F038 and MRY-F039, according to NBC Bay Area.

An evacuation order means there is an immediate danger to life and residents must leave, according to KSBW. A warning means there could be a danger to life or property.

People who need extra time to evacuate should leave now, according to KSBW. People needing evacuation assistance can call the virtual Temporary Evacuation Point at 831-647-7760.

For more information, Monterey County directs residents to visit the county's emergency alerts website, according to NBC Bay Area.

Sunday expansion adds MRY-F038 to order list

Evacuation orders are in effect for MRY-F034, MRY-F035, MRY-F036, MRY-F037, MRY-F038, MRY-G012-A and MRY-G016, according to KSBW. MRY-F038 was identified as new Sunday.

Evacuation warnings are in effect for MRY-F033, MRY-G011-A, MRY-G012-B and MRY-G015, according to the Sunday KSBW update listing Monterey County zones. A separate KSBW listing also included evacuation warnings for SLC-001, SLC-002 and SLC-003.

Monterey County leaders are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare an emergency to help bring additional resources to the fire, according to KSBW.

Monterey County Supervisor Kate Daniels said, “That would help us get more resources to this fire,” according to KSBW. Daniels added, “I think, in my opinion, it qualifies as an emergency. I think an emergency should be declared.”

Where firefighters are working to protect homes

Firefighters are focusing on structure protection along Plaskett Ridge Road and Los Burros Road, according to KSBW. Crews are clearing brush around homes, positioning engines nearby, laying hose and conducting strategic burning between the fire and residential areas.

Crews are strengthening containment lines near South Coast Ridge Road and Prewitt Ridge, according to KSBW. Firefighters are also monitoring an area of approximately two acres where flames crossed a containment line.

Helicopters and air tankers are supporting suppression efforts when weather conditions allow, according to KSBW. Night-flying helicopters are also assisting with structure protection.

A large surge of firefighting resources continues to arrive at the scene, according to KSBW. CAL FIRE reported 661 personnel assigned to the fire, including 36 engines, five water tenders, six helicopters, seven dozers, 23 hand crews and 13 other resources.

He said that around Big Sur, there is “very limited access into the wilderness” and that in order to do firefighting work on the steep terrain, firefighters are re-opening a series of historic fire breaks, according to NBC Bay Area, attributing the statement to CAL FIRE Public Information Officer Josh Silveira.

At least one structure was destroyed in the Plaskett Fire, according to NBC Bay Area. At least one structure was previously reported destroyed, according to local sources and U.S. Forest Service firefighters cited by KSBW. Local sources described it as a small, one-bedroom home, while firefighters described it as an outbuilding, according to KSBW. CAL FIRE's latest incident report did not list updated structure damage totals, according to KSBW.

Highway 1 closed for nearly 54 miles

Highway 1 is closed from south of the Little Sur River at Mile Marker 56 to just north of the San Luis Obispo County line at Mile Marker 0.09, according to KSBW. There is no estimated time for when the highway will reopen.

The closure affects nearly the entire Big Sur coastline, according to KSBW. The full closure covers nearly 54 miles and will remain in place until further notice.

The southern end of the closure was moved from Mile Marker 10.1 near Gorda to Mile Marker 2.1, extending the closure by about 8 miles, according to KSBW. A separate KSBW Highway 1 listing described the closure as from south of the Little Sur River at Mile Marker 56 to south of Salmon Creek at Mile Marker 2.1.

Highway 1 is closed off near Big Sur resident Jessica Swan in Big Sur as well as further south near the Plaskett Fire, according to NBC Bay Area. Firefighters are asking the public to keep the roadways clear near the fires and to drive with caution, according to NBC Bay Area.

For those who live outside of the area, CAL FIRE encourages them to stay away from the fire zone and to visit other areas of Monterey County instead, according to NBC Bay Area.

Shelters open in Carmel and Cambria

Two shelters are open for evacuees, according to KSBW. One is located at the Carmel Mission Inn Conference Room, 3665 Rio Road in Carmel.

A second shelter has been opened at the Veterans Building, 1000 Main St., in Cambria, according to KSBW. The shelter can accommodate 48 people.

Evacuation shelters have been designated for the Timber and Plaskett Fires at Carmel Mission Inn Conference Room, 3665 Rio Road in Carmel, and at Cambria Veterans Memorial Building in Cambria, according to NBC Bay Area.

Timber Fire raises shelter-in-place and preparation warnings

As of Saturday evening, CAL FIRE said that steep terrain and lots of fuel for the fire “continue to create significant challenges for suppression efforts” on the Timber Fire, according to NBC Bay Area. CAL FIRE added that fire spread is expected toward the Lucia Range, South Fork Trail and the Black Cone Trail.

Big Sur resident Jessica Swan said she can see the Timber Fire from where she lives, according to NBC Bay Area. Swan lives in one of the areas that is under a shelter-in-place order due to the fire.

Swan said the flames can look intimidating, especially when “the winds pick up, and you see those big trees catch on fire,” according to NBC Bay Area. She noted, “We are talking about 200-foot flames, it looks like.”

Swan said, “I’m up here for maybe a week, it could keep going,” according to NBC Bay Area. She added, “You know everyone's prepared with food and water if you were to go down to the highway, it's just police and fire trucks.”

At a Town Meeting Saturday at Cachagua Community Park, county officials warned residents that this week dry conditions with low humidity are expected, and if the Timber Fire continues progressing, more evacuation orders may need to be issued in the Carmel Valley, according to NBC Bay Area.

At that meeting, Monterey County Supervisor Kate Daniels told attendees, “I think everyone should take that as your warning and start preparing now and expect that sometime this week you will get an evacuation order,” according to NBC Bay Area, which attributed the context to comments from Chief Deputy Eric Bixler with the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.

Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, noted, “as the fire burns further into the wilderness, it's drier, and we also get stronger winds the higher we go up in elevation,” according to NBC Bay Area.

What households should have ready now

Fire officials are urging the public to have ‘go-bags’ and necessary supplies like medications ready just in case more evacuations are ordered, according to NBC Bay Area.

“We don’t want people to have a false sense of security that just because it's cooler that things are gonna be potentially less active, and we really want to advocate for people to be prepared,” said Josh Silveira, a Public Information Officer for CAL FIRE, according to NBC Bay Area.

Silveira said that if the Timber Fire keeps pushing northeast, it's possible evacuation warnings or orders could be issued for the communities of Tassajara and Cachagua, according to NBC Bay Area.

While law enforcement officials said they can't predict the odds of having to issue more evacuation orders, they advised community members to be prepared in the event that happens, according to NBC Bay Area.

Sources referenced