You can see the ocean waves along the scenic Highway 1 to Big Sur South from Carmel Highlands crashing along with the scenery also burning up in one of the photos below:
Soberanes Fire Day 4: Nearly 15000 acres burned, 20 homes ...
KSBW The Central Coast-6 hours ago
CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. —The Soberanes Fire has burned nearly 15,000 acres, destroyed 20 homes, and remains at 5 percent containment, ...
Soberanes Fire Day 4: Nearly 15,000 acres burned, 20 homes destroyed
Published 4:00 PM PDT Jul 25, 2016
The wildfire that ignited at 8:30 a.m. Friday is now the same size as Manhattan in New York City.
An estimated 1,650 homes are still being threatened, Cal Fire officials said, and no injuries have been reported.
To prevent looting, Cal Fire officials declined to release an exact location for where 20 houses were destroyed.
PHOTOS: Soberanes Fire burning between Big Sur, Carmel Valley
There will be a community meeting for anyone affected by the Soberanes Fire at 6 p.m. Monday at Carmel River School, located at 15th and Monte Verde in Carmel.
The meeting will be hosted by Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. Representatives from the county's sheriff's office, health office, and emergency services agency will be present to answer questions.
A mandatory evacuation order was issued by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office for some Carmel Highlands residents late Monday afternoon. All residents living on Corona Road east of Highway 1 and Riley Ranch Road east of Highway 1 were ordered to leave their homes immediately.
"Residents should leave these areas listed above immediately and be sure to take any medications, pets, (and) family valuables with you. Close all windows and leave all doors closed," Cal Fire officials said.
Over the weekend, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for the Palo Colorado community, Weston Ridge Road, Garrapatos Road and Old Coast Road.
Oliver Bates had to flee from from his house on Palo Colorado Road.
“I was trying to save my structure and I only left when it got really bad. It was raining fire from the sky," Bates said.
Now Bates is unsure if he will have a house to go home to.
"It could still be there. I’m waiting for confirmation, they’re (firefighters) starting to scout out areas," Bates said.
Bates has slept the past three nights at an American Red Cross shelter at Carmel Middle School.
An evacuation warning remains in place for: The community of Carmel Highlands, South of Rancho San Carlos, White Rock, Old Coast Road south from Bixby Creek Road to Little Sur River.
An evacuation warning is used to notify residents that there is a possibility that an evacuation maybe necessary in the future. Cal Fire originally said Carmel Valley was part of the evacuation warning, but later removed Carmel Valley from the list.
Most evacuees have been staying with friends and family.
AIR QUALITY: Check air quality near you
Air quality in Carmel Valley, King City, and Salinas was designated as "moderate" by the Monterey Bay Air Resources District Monday afternoon. Air quality in Santa Cruz and the San Lorenzo Valley was "good."
"Although smoke has been visible from many locations around the area and has resulted in some degradation of air quality, most of the plume has remained aloft," the MBARD said.
The National Weather Service said air quality is expected to be worse on Tuesday.
"Onshore winds will attempt to push smoke further inland and away from the coast. Some smoke will filter into the Monterey Peninsula (Monday), but models hint that it will be more likely to see smoke push into the Monterey Peninsula by (Tuesday)," the NWS said.
More than 1,400 personnel with 165 fire engines are battling the blaze on the ground and from the air under a unified command by Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service.
A command center was set up at Toro Park.
"The fire remains active and dynamic with access being challenging. High temperatures and low humidity are also an element that is affecting fire activity. Firefighters continue to fight the fire aggressively with air and ground resources," Cal Fire said Monday.
The Soberanes Fire's steep, rugged, mountainous location made it a challenge for firefighters to access, and hot weekend temperatures fueled flames. On Saturday the smoke plume was visible all the way from Santa Cruz.
Monday morning's dense fog helped turn down the heat, but also made flying a bigger challenge because of low visibility. Once the fog lifts, firefighters will be back facing dry, explosive conditions.
The Soberanes Fire also caused a spot fire that spread to nearly 1,000 acres by noon Monday. The spot fire is located south of the main wildfire, and east of Hurricane Point.
The Community Foundation for Monterey County created a donation fund to assist the community impacted by the Soberanes Fire and help residents who lost their homes recover.
"Grants from the fund will be distributed to nonprofit agencies assisting individuals and organizations to meet needs as they arise," CFMC said.
Area closures
All parks in and around the Big Sur -- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Andrew Molera State Park, and Pt. Sur Lighthouse Historic Park -- are officially closed to day use, hiking, camping and surfing. Palo Colorado Road, Western Ridge Road, Old Coast Road, and Lower Garrapata Road are closed. Toro Park closed to allow Cal Fire to use the park as a base camp.
Pre-evacuation warnings:
Carmel Highlands, Rancho San Carlos, White Rock and Rancho San Clemente are under a pre-evacuation warning and should be prepared to leave if a mandatory evacuation is ordered for their area.
Mandatory evacuations:
Big Sur residents in the Palo Colorado Canyon neighborhood evacuated Friday evening. Carmel Highlands residents living on Corona Road and Riley Ranch Road east of Highway 1 were ordered to evacuate Monday afternoon. The Monterey County Sheriff's Department also issued mandatory evacuations for Weston Ridge Road -- also known as Garrapata Ridge Road -- Garrapatos Road, and Highway 1 at Old Coast Road.
Shelter
The American Red Cross established a temporary shelter at Carmel Middle School at 4380 Carmel Valley Road. The SPCA for Monterey County is also there to help with evacuated pets.
Cause
Fire officials said the Soberanes Fire's cause is under investigation.
Donate
The Community Foundation for Monterey County created a donation fund to assist the community impacted by the Soberanes Fire and help residents who lost their homes recover.
"Grants from the fund will be distributed to nonprofit agencies assisting individuals and organizations to meet needs as they arise," the CFMC said.
Donate through the Community Foundation for Monterey County by clicking here.
No comments:
Post a Comment