Crime & Safety
Bulldozer Operator Injured In Soberanes Fire; Containment at 76%
BREAKING: The blaze in the Los Padres National Forest now ranks as No. 18 largest CA wildfire in recent history. See chart of Top 20 fires.
MONTEREY COUNTY, CA – A bulldozer operator was injured Friday fighting the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County near Big Sur, Cal Fire and U.S. Forest Service officials said Saturday.
The operator was injured when the bulldozer turned over as the person was doing suppression repair. Fire officials said the operator's injuries were not severe.
Since the fire began July 22 in Garrapata State Park, eight people have been injured and one person has died. That person was also a bulldozer operator, according to fire officials.
Find out what's happening in Watsonvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
An illegal campfire started the blaze, which has destroyed 57 homes, burned 126,593 acres and cost an estimated $208 million. The fire is 76 percent contained.
The fire is now ranked by acreage burned as number 18 in the top 20 wildfires in California, Cal Fire stated. (See chart below.)
Find out what's happening in Watsonvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Today, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted some evacuation orders. See details here.
Previous Soberanes Fire coverage:
- Soberanes Fire Cost At $208 Million, With 71% Containment After 2 Months
- Roughly 1,475 Firefighters Still At Scene Of 91K-Acre Soberanes Fire [UPDATE]
- Soberanes Fire: Smoke Expected To Drift Over Weekend
- Soberanes Fire Day 32: Some Evacuations Lifted; Containment Hopes Are For End Of September
- Day 30 Of Soberanes Fire: Full Containment Now Projected By End Of September [UPDATE]
- Beastly Soberanes Fire Grows Even Larger: Day 29
- Soberanes Fire Update: Bigger Still With 79K Acres Consumed On Day 28
- Soberanes Fire Latest: Day 27 With Scorched Terrain Expanding Overnight By Roughly 700 Acres
- Soberanes Fire Grows To More Than 76K Acres; Hwy 1 Reopens -- For Now
- Soberanes Fire: Hwy 1 Closure Extended
- Hwy 1 Stretch To Close Sunday Due To Soberanes Fire
- Soberanes Fire Day 21: Possible Closure Of Hwy 1 Looms [UPDATE]
- Soberanes Fire Day 20: Containment Holding Steady At 50%
- Soberanes Fire Day 19: Burned Acreage Grows Overnight; Containment Advances To 50% [UPDATE]
- Nestless and Rescued: Firefighter Uses Coffee Cup To Save Baby Bird From Smoky Soberanes Fire
- Clint Eastwood Visits Firefighters Battling Soberanes Fire
- Two Injured in Massive Soberanes Fire
--Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via USFS Fire-California/Chart via CalFire
