Crime & Safety
Soberanes Fire Day 32: Some Evacuations Lifted; Containment Hopes Are For End Of September
The spreading Chimney Fire, meanwhile, is threatening parts of Monterey County and Hearst Castle.
MONTEREY COUNTY, CA – Cal Fire officials said that evacuation warnings were lifted Sunday evening for part of the area threatened by the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County.
The warnings were lifted at 6 p.m. for the east side of state Highway 1 from Andrew Molera State Park to Coast Ridge Road at the Ventana Inn & Spa, including the Ventana Inn and Coast Ridge Road to 1.5 miles above the Ventana Inn.
The Soberanes Fire started July 22 at about 8:50 a.m. when someone left an illegal campfire burning in Garrapata State Park, according to Cal Fire officials.
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It has burned 86,294 acres and is 60 percent contained with 2,109 firefighters at the scene as of this afternoon.
Evacuation orders are still in effect for Coast Ridge Road from 1.5 miles north of the Ventana Inn & Spa to the end of Coast Ridge Road at Marble Peak and all roads the leave from Coast Ridge Road, Cal Fire officials
said.
Find out what's happening in Watsonvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Evacuation warnings are still in effect for Tassajara Road from Carmel Valley to the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center and all roads that leave from Tassajara Road.
The fire has destroyed 57 homes and 11 smaller buildings. About 410 structures are still threatened.
Firefighters had expected to contain the fire by the end of this month, but fire officials revised the containment date to Sept. 30.
A bulldozer driver who was a private contractor helping firefighters contain the blaze died in the fire and three other people have been injured.
A separate fire in San Luis Obispo County, the Chimney Fire, meanwhile, is threatening homes in Monterey County and is burning near the Hearst Castle where newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst once lived, a fire spokesman said.
As of 6:30 p.m. Sunday, the Chimney Fire was threatening the community of Bryson Hesperia, which extends into both counties, Chimney Fire spokesman Bud Englund said.
The entire community has been evacuated because of the threat from the fire, but the fire has not reached Monterey County, he said.
"Overnight, fire behavior was extreme and continued to challenge the control lines," Cal Fire said today. "The fire is currently burning through Rock Butte area and into Monterey County west of lake San Antonio."
The fire started at 4:05 p.m. Aug. 13 at Running Deer and Chimney Rock roads south of Lake Nacimiento, Cal Fire officials said.
The fire has burned 31,644 acres and was 35 percent contained as of this morning.
Forty-eight structures have been destroyed and seven more damaged by the blaze, according to Cal Fire officials. About 1.898 structures are threatened.
The fire is burning about two miles from the Hearst Castle, which is a National Historic Landmark and California Historical Landmark.
Englund said the fire doesn't pose much of the threat to the castle building.
"Smoke damage to the art would be more of the concern," Englund said. "That would be the biggest concern when it comes to the Hearst Castle."
William Randolph Hearst was an avid art collection. The Hearst Castle is closed until further notice because of the fire, according to the landmark's website.
Call (831) 204-0446 for more information about the Soberanes Fire.
Also see:
- Day 10: Clayton Fire Hits 95% Containment
- Historic Landmark Threatened, 700+ Structures Destroyed, 10,000 Firefighters Deployed: Calif. Wildfire Latest
Previous Soberanes Fire coverage:
- 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
Photo via CAL FIRE BEU and Los Padres NF on Twitter
