[Ninong]

Most of Big Sur evacuated after wildfire spreads

(07-02) 18:02 PDT Big Sur, CA (AP) --

Authorities ordered the remaining residents of this scenic coastal community to leave Wednesday after an out-of-control wildfire jumped a fire line and threatened more homes.

New mandatory evacuation notices were issued Wednesday morning for an additional 16-mile stretch along Highway 1, bringing the total length of the evacuated area to about 25 miles of the coast, emergency officials said.

"The fire is just a big raging animal right now," said Darby Marshall, spokesman for the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.

The massive blaze near Big Sur was one of more than 1,100 wildfires, mostly ignited by lightning, that have scorched 680 square miles and destroyed 60 homes and other buildings across northern and central California since June 20, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Sixteen homes and more than 52,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest have burned since the inferno near Big Sur was started by lightning on June 21. It remained only about 3 percent contained Wednesday.

You can read the rest here.


The outdoor webcam at Nepenthe's restaurant is still up and working, so you can watch the smoke.

(P.S. -- This is the view as of 6:22 a.m. July 6. The camera has not refreshed since then.)


Update: 7/14/08:

Camera working again! Restaurant is open! Real live customers!!!


P.S. (7-3-08) -- If you can't see the Pacific ocean, it's because of smoke. Click here to see what it should look like.



This restaurant is on the ocean side of Hwy. 1, about 800 feet above the ocean.

P.S. -- 7/3/08: The camera's been moved. It's not pointing in it's usual direction, it appears to be pointing at the roof of the building. Maybe they did that on purpose before they evacuated?

The camera is now back in its usual position aiming south. You would normally be able to see the ocean on the right but the smoke is blocking the view. There is no one isn't supposed to be anyone left at this restaurant. They were under a mandatory evacuation order to leave by 7 p.m. yesterday, July 2.

That's not fog, that's smoke! It's not as bad right now (5:25 p.m. PDT, Thursday) as it was earlier today.

[Ninong]

California's Big Sur Area Burning Out of Control

(07-03) 04:00 PDT Big Sur --

Stoked by dry air and dead oaks, a 55,820-acre fire drove hundreds of residents and visitors Wednesday from one of the most fabled stretches of the California coast, Big Sur.

A mandatory 7 p.m. evacuation closed 25 miles of coastline along Highway 1, including the town of Big Sur and such well-known destinations as the Nepenthe restaurant, the Ventana Inn, the Esalen Institute and four state parks.

Lightning sparked the blaze dubbed the Basin Complex Fire on June 21, and 17 structures have been destroyed since; 1,277 more were threatened Wednesday night.

Ominously, the fire remained just 3 percent contained despite the best efforts of more than 1,600 firefighters assisted by helicopters and air tankers.

"The terrain, the fuel load and the dryness are what make this fire so difficult," said Rudy Evenson, information officer for the agencies battling the Basin Complex Fire. "There's an added urgency because of the fire being close to the town of Big Sur."

You can read the rest here.

California fires

As of Wednesday evening, 28 major clusters of wildfires - comprising 1,781 fires in all - were burning in California.

Range: Geographically, they extend from the 230-acre Gap Fire in Santa Barbara County north to five related fires in Siskiyou County that have burned 9,915 acres and remain only 25 percent contained.

Damage: The fires have consumed 494,311 acres and destroyed 31 residences. They continue to threaten 1,800 residences and 165 commercial buildings.

Size: The largest fire is the Indians Fire, which has burned 81,378 acres in a remote inland part of Monterey County. As of Wednesday, the fire, which has destroyed two residences and 13 outbuildings, was 95 percent contained.

For fire updates, go to www.fire.ca.gov.

Statewide Resources Committed
Personnel Committed: 19,942
Fire Engines: 1,470
Hand Crews: 566
Dozers: 342
Water Tenders: 428
Helicopters: 106

[Ninong]

This is really sad. I keep checking back to see if Nepenthe's webcam is still operating. Looks like those little outdoor lanterns are on right now at 10:32 a.m. PDT. They probably come on automatically when it gets dark. (P.S. -- Now the lanterns are off. It's 12:32 p.m. PDT.) (5:42 p.m. PDT, lanterns on again.)

With the camera pointed in this direction, looking out over the corner of that lower deck, you would normally be able to see the ocean 800 feet below on the right.

I sure hope they can get this fire (Basin Complex) under control soon. It's been going on since June 21 and it's still only 5% contained. The nearby Indians Fire, which is also in Monterey county but more inland, is now 95% contained. That fire has already burned more than 81,000 acres. The Basin Complex (Big Sur) fire has burned more than 65,000 acres already and it's still completely out of control. It could burn all the way to the ocean.

This is really a bad start to the fire season. It's just barely July and it seems like the whole state is burning. Things will just get worse between now and late October.

[Ninong]

Still Only 5% Contained

The Basin Complex fire is 5 miles south of Big Sur right now and it's still only 5% contained. The evacuation order extends from Lime Kiln State Park in the south all the way to Palo Colorado Canyon Road in the north, a distance of 41 miles.

West Zone: A mandatory evacuation and road closure is in effect for the entire community of BIG SUR and both sides of Hwy 1 from Lime Kiln State Park north to Palo Colorado Road. An evacuation advisory remains in place for residents of the Palo Colorado Canyon from Hwy 1 to the Pico Blanco Boy Scout Camp. East Zone: Continue structure preparation on Carmel Valley Road and Cachagua areas.

Growth potential: High

Terrain difficulty: High

Size: 65,393 acres

Total personnel: 1,642

[Ninong]

Big Sur Blaze rages, other fires spreading

(07-04) 22:16 PDT Big Sur - -- Firefighters and homeowners stood their ground against flames licking their way toward Big Sur on Friday, even as increasing state and federal resources were being rerouted to other fires around the state, including a fast-moving blaze in Santa Barbara County that threatens thousands of homes.

The Basin Complex fire near Big Sur - one of three fires raging in Los Padres National Forest - burned an additional 4,407 acres by Friday evening, reaching a total of more than 68,700 acres since the fire was started by lightning on June 21.

Fire crews were using roads - including a closed Highway 1 - as fire lines and waiting for the flames to burn toward them, which, it was hoped, would exhaust fuel in the form of dried brush and trees along the way.

"There are a hell of a lot of people here in the mandatory evacuation zone. They feel, as I do, that there aren't enough resources to protect their properties," said Kirk Gafill, 46, general manager of Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur.

But while firefighters near Big Sur got some relief from cooler, wetter weather Friday, they weren't so lucky at the southern end of Los Padres National Forest. There, the Gap Fire, near the Santa Barbara County city of Goleta, nearly doubled overnight and was raging at 6,700 acres by Friday evening, making it the state's top priority for firefighting resources. About 2,800 homes were threatened, and more than 1,700 residences - home to 3,500 to 4,000 people - were ordered to evacuate.

Fire crews there were forced to take shelter in about 70 homes they were defending Thursday night, according to Capt. Eli Iskow of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The fire is 14 percent contained.

You can read the rest here. (Lots of pictures.) That fire started on June 21 and they're now saying it won't be contained until July 30.

Ken Slaven watches the fire burn down to Highway 1 in the town of Big Sur on Friday.



National Guard helicopters pick up water from the Pacific Ocean on Friday. (That's Point Sur Lightstation atop that 361-ft high volcanic rock in the background.)



Flames burn up a slope near the Ventana Inn and Spa as the Basin Complex fire continues to burn in and around Big Sur, Calif. on Thursday.



Firefighters, coming off the night shift in Big Sur, drive out as a crew from Orange County waits by the side of Highway 1 on Friday.

[Ninong]

Big Sur Blaze Still Only 5% Contained

Looks like a lot of the Big Sur area on the east side of Hwy. 1 is burining but firefighters are setting controlled burns on the east side of the highway in an attempt to prevent the fire from jumping over to the west side.

Even though DeNitto said teams were gaining ground, the Big Sur fire remained only 5 percent contained Saturday.

Kurt Mayer watched as crews set the forest and brush on fire across the street from his Big Sur Deli late Friday. Dozens of firefighters stood guard along Highway 1 with their backs to the fire, watching the homes and businesses for any sign that the fire had jumped the highway.

"You could call it uneventful even though it was spectacular," Mayer said. "It was very well controlled."

Similar controlled burns appear to have protected several well-known businesses at the top of Big Sur Valley, including Ventana Inn and Nepenthe, Mayer said.

The two Los Padres blazes were among 334 active wildfires in California on Saturday, down from a peak of roughly 1,500 fires a few days earlier, but they were commanding the greatest share of equipment and personnel because of their locations near populated areas, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

[Ninong]

Nepenthe's webcam hasn't refreshed in the past two and a half hours. I hope that doesn't mean anything.

As of this morning, the Basin Complex fire (Big Sur) is 11% contained. It has burned 72,429 acres. They hope to have full containment by July 30. The nearby Indians fire is 97% contained, having already burned 81,378 acres. The Gap fire, in Santa Barbara county, is now 28% contained. It has consumed 9,367 acres. It's getting the most attention because it threatens nearby subdivisions.

[Ninong]

As of July 9, the Basin Complex fire (Big Sur) is 27% contained and it has consumed 86,726 acres. That's up from 72,429 acres three days ago.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Ninong

As of July 9, the Basin Complex fire (Big Sur) is 27% contained and it has consumed 86,726 acres. That's up from 72,429 acres three days ago.

According to the Monterey Herald this afternoon, the Basin Complex (Big Sur) fire is now 61% contained. It has consumed more than 120,000 acres as of this morning.

Hwy. 1 has been reopened and the River Inn and Nepenthe's are both open today. I believe the River Inn opened Saturady.

Nepenthe's view cam is working again and I see customers sitting on the deck getting ready to order. That's great.

Nepenthe's general manager, whose grandfather founded the restaurant in 1949, stayed behind with five employees throughout the "mandatory" evacuation. They used hoses to put out all the flying embers that were landing on the building last week. The fire crews are doing a great job and the best they can but they're stretched to the limit.

Anyway, it looks like all of the businesses along Hwy. 1 survived. I'm not so sure about some of the properties to the east of Hwy. 1. The fire is still raging inland in the Los Padres National Forest.

[Ninong]

Calif. wildfires largest 'fire event' in state history

The nearly 1,300 square miles blackened eclipses 2003 record


SAN JOSE, Calif. - A large wildfire in a national forest spread farther away from the storied coastal town of Big Sur on Monday but forced residents of another community to stay away from their homes for a third day.

Evacuation orders first issued Saturday morning remained in place for more than 200 homes in the rural Cachagua community northeast of Big Sur. The blaze, which already has charred 187 square miles and destroyed 27 homes, was about 1 1/2 miles from the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Firefighters had a strong fire line in the Los Padres National Forest there that they expected to hold, keeping the flames from reaching the more populated Carmel Valley, said Tacy Skinner, a Forest Service spokeswoman.

On the southwest border of the blaze, which was more than 60 percent contained, firefighters were in cleanup mode Monday. The scenic Pacific Coast Highway fully reopened ahead of schedule a day earlier, and residents and business owners in Big Sur — a tourist area historically popular with writers and artists — began settling back in after three weeks of evacuations.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said 288 blazes were still burning around the state, most of them in the mountains ringing the northern edge of the Central Valley.

'Largest single fire event in history'

So far this fire season, flames have blackened nearly 1,300 square miles and destroyed about 100 homes across California. Most of the blazes were sparked by a June 21 lightning storm across the northern part of the state.

The current complex of fires is "the largest single fire event in the history for California," said Kelly Houston, spokesman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

The previous record was set in October 2003, when wildfires scorched more than 1,155 square miles, Houston said. State record-keeping on wildfires began in 1936.

You can read the rest here.

P.S. -- It is depressing to think that this is only the middle of July. The fire season is just getting started.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Ninong

'Largest single fire event in history'

So far this fire season, flames have blackened nearly 1,300 square miles and destroyed about 100 homes across California. Most of the blazes were sparked by a June 21 lightning storm across the northern part of the state.

The current complex of fires is "the largest single fire event in the history for California," said Kelly Houston, spokesman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

The previous record was set in October 2003, when wildfires scorched more than 1,155 square miles, Houston said. State record-keeping on wildfires began in 1936.

You can read the rest here.

P.S. -- It is depressing to think that this is only the middle of July. The fire season is just getting started.

The state of Rhode Island is 1,545 square miles. California wildfires have already consumed an area almost as large as the state of Rhode Island. This is only July. Before the current fire season is over, that number will more than double.

[Ninong]

Update:

The Basin Complex fire (Big Sur) is still just 61% contained. It has consumed 125,000 acres since June 21. Expected date of full containment is still July 30.

Fire crews are still desperately trying to keep it away from Carmel Valley Road, much of which is under a mandatory evacuation order. Looks like the fire has retreated from the coast where it burned down to Hwy. 1. Fire crews managed to keep it from jumping the highway in most places. It's still burning inland. If you add this fire to the Indians fire, that's a lot of the northern part of the Los Padres National Forest that has been burned.

P.S. -- There were a lot of dead oaks in there and I think that's what made this fire so hard to fight. The redwoods will almost all survive. They always do.

[Ninong]

California Condors survived the fire.


Joe Burnett, senior wildlife biologist at the Ventana Wildlife Society, on July 8 gets a first look at the condor release pen destroyed by the Big Sur fire — while a condor that survived keeps an eye on him.

P.S. -- Here's a photo of California Condor #94 taken July 3 along the Big Sur coast on the ocean side of Hwy. 1. California Condors have an average wingspan of nine feet.

[Ninong]

Update: As of yesterday, July 18, the Basin Complex fire has consumed more than 130,000 acres. It is now 70% contained. Full containment expected by July 30.

[Ninong]

Series of Webcam Images June 21-29, 2008 From deck at Nepenthe on Highway 1, So. of Big Sur
Courtesy of Nepenthe

Sat. June 21, 5:00 pm
Sun. June 22, 9:15 am
Sun. June 22, 11:45 am
Sun.June 22, 2:04 pm
Sun. June 22 4:50 pm
Sun. June 22, 7:30 pm
Sun.June 22, 10:00 pm
Sun. June 22,11:00 pm
Mon. June 23, 7:00 am
Mon. June 23, 12:45 pm
Mon.June 23, 8:28 pm
Tues. June 24, 11:05 am
Wed. June 25, 8:36 am larger
Wed.June 25, 7:52 pm
Thurs. June 26, 9:30 am
Fri. June 27, 8:30 am
Sun. June 29, 10:33 am

Sat. June 28, 8:52 pm (Orange deck lights.)

Sat. June 28, 2:39 pm

Sat.June 28, 9:45 am

[Ninong]

As of today, the fire is 79% contained and it has consumed 152,000 acres. Full containment expected by July 31st.

[Ninong]

Update: As of right now, 162,000 acres have been consumed by the Basin Complex fire (Big Sur). It is now 85% contained and full containment is expected by July 30th. And that's just the Basin Complex fire, that doesn't count the Indians fire next to it that has already been contained.

[Ninong]

This is pretty good. I found a website put up by the Monterey County Chamber of Commerce or some such outfit pushing tourism telling the tourists to come on down. Talk about putting a good spin on this story. The fire is still raging just a few miles from the coast where it is still consuming fuel between firelines. It has already burned down to Hwy. 1 and then backtracked inland. In fact, in a few spots, it burned on both sides of Hwy. 1.

LIKE A PHOENIX, BIG SUR RISES

Air quality in the Big Sur area is “moderate” with low particulate reading...

At the other end of Big Sur, Ventana Inn & Spa will open Cielo restaurant July 19. The Inn & Spa will open August 1st, following a refreshing and revitalizing of surrounding landscaping; no Ventana buildings were harmed...

The article includes some nice photos, including photos of people looking out from the deck of Nepente's restaurant at an area that burned. I like the comment that the Ventana Inn & Spa will reopen August 1st following a "refreshing and revitalizing of surrounding landscaping - no Ventana buildings were harmed." The buildings were saved but much of the "surrounding landscaping" burned to the ground. All of the Ventana Campground was burned.

It is a spectacular part of the world and I am grateful that the area along the coast was spared. It will all be as good as ever within a few years. There is no more beautiful place on earth.



P.S. -- Update: As of 7 a.m. July 28, 2008 the Basin Complex fire (Big Sur) is 100% contained.