• Firefighter Mike Leslie walks through a forested area that was devastated by the Soberanes Fire, in Monterey, California, on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Mike Leslie and his crew aided in fighting the fire. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
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Firefighter Mike Leslie walks through a forested area that was devastated by the Soberanes Fire, in Monterey, California, on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Mike Leslie and his crew aided in fighting the fire.
After burning for nearly three months, the Big Sur wildfire that may go down as the most expensive firefight in U.S. history was brought under full control.
One of the last persistent hot spots of the 132,127-acre Soberanes Fire, flaring in a remote corner of the Los Padres National Forest near Marble Peak, died down amid cooler temperatures and low humidity, allowing firefighters to declare victory Wednesday night.
“It had nowhere to go, and it ended up burning itself out,” Patrick Mahoney, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said Thursday. “There’s always the potential that it’s burned underground and it could pop back up, but I don’t see any danger of it getting out and making another run.”
Wednesday also marked the official end of the 4,474-acre Loma Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The blaze, which ignited Sept. 26, destroyed 12 homes along the Santa Clara-Santa Cruz county line near Los Gatos. The cause is under investigation.
The Soberanes Fire, which authorities say was ignited by an illegal and unattended campfire July 22, burned for 83 days, requiring thousands of firefighters to battle from the ground and air.