Big Sur Wildfire Forces Evacuations, Shutters Main Highway

BIG SUR, CA — A wildfire that ignited Friday evening in the Big Sur area was still raging on Sunday morning, scorching 1,050 acres, Cal Fire reported.

Dubbed the Colorado Fire, the blaze and was 25 percent contained and had destroyed one structure as of Sunday morning, fire officials said. It is the first large wildfire of the year that has forced evacuations and barreled through forest land in California.

Residents of the north coast of Big Sur were forced to evacuate on Friday and Saturday as the wind-driven fire exploded.

The fire ignited Friday night in the steep Palo Colorado canyon and quickly spread toward the sea, fanned by winds up to 50 mph. The blaze burned at least 2.3 square miles of brush and redwood trees, said Cecile Juliette, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

"The fire lined up with the wind and the terrain and that gave the fire a lot of energy to make a big run," she said Saturday.

Officials shut down Highway 1 in both directions from Andrew Molera State Park to Carmel-By-The-Sea on Saturday, according to local reports. The American Red Cross set up a shelter at a middle school.

A wind advisory was issued in the Bay Area for Friday night through Saturday morning, though meteorologists said strong winds were most likely in higher elevations, according to the National Weather Service.

Authorities urged about 500 residents to evacuate the sparsely populated area between Carmel and Big Sur. More than 250 firefighters from multiple agencies and volunteer groups, aided by water-dropping aircraft, contained about 20 percent of the blaze by Saturday evening.

"The winds have died down and that has worked in our favor," she said.

Authorities closed an iconic stretch of Highway 1 with no estimated time for reopening. The two-lane highway along Big Sur is prone to closures due to fire and mudslides from heavy rain made portions of the roadway collapse last year and in 2017.

Evacuees shared on social media dramatic images of flames burning behind iconic Bixby Bridge. The tall concrete span has been the backdrop of many car commercials, movies and TV shows, most recently the HBO drama "Big Little Lies."

Strong winds were recorded across the San Francisco Bay Area overnight, knocking down trees and power lines and causing outages to at least 18,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers in the region, the utility said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

In Sonoma County, firefighters extinguished a 5-acre fire on Geyser Peak, where gusts above 90 mph (145 kph) were recorded. In the Sierra Nevada, the winds topped 141 mph (226 kph) near the summit of Kirkwood Mountain Resort, shutting several ski lifts.

In Southern California, a peak gust 90 mph (144 kph) was recorded in the mountains east of Santa Clarita. Strong winds developed across the region, toppling trees and powerlines.
The National Weather Service said a similar windy event happened in Bay Area nearly a year ago. A red flag warning of extreme fire danger was issued then due to the strong winds and much drier conditions.

This time, the region received a reprieve from December storms that dumped heavy snow in the mountains and partially refilled parched reservoirs.

However, Juliette said the winds quickly dried up vegetation weakened by a prolonged drought and lowered humidity level.

“It's unusual to have fire this size here on the coast at the end of January,” she said. “The fact that we had a fire this size is of great concern.”

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

READ MORE: Wildfire Burning Near Big Sur Prompts Evacuations