The Plaskett Fire expanded rapidly across Monterey County to more than 8,200 acres with only 1% containment Sunday morning, prompting evacuations, closing about 40 miles of Highway 1 and threatening homes and businesses along California’s Big Sur coast.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Firefighters were working Sunday to slow the rapidly expanding Plaskett Fire near California’s Big Sur coastline after the blaze grew from just 140 acres Thursday to more than 8,200 acres, forcing residents to evacuate and closing a major stretch of Highway 1.
The fire reached 8,241 acres by Sunday morning, up from approximately 6,000 acres Saturday morning, and remained just 1% contained, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The rapid growth is threatening homes and disrupting businesses in Big Sur, the famed coastal region along the Pacific Ocean in Monterey County.
Urgent evacuation orders were issued Saturday as flames moved toward Highway 1. Approximately 40 miles of the coastal highway had already been closed as firefighters worked to keep the blaze from spreading further toward populated areas, according to ABC7 News.
The Plaskett Fire’s growth has been especially rapid. It covered only about 140 acres Thursday before expanding across thousands of acres of Monterey County over the following two days, the California Post reported.
Cal Fire said conditions improved somewhat overnight into Saturday as increased humidity and marine air moderated fire behavior in some areas, although crews continued confronting active flames along multiple portions of the incident.
“The Plaskett Fire experienced slight progression overnight, continuing to back downslope toward Highway 1 south of Plaskett Road. Fire activity moderated during the overnight period under improved humidity recovery and increased marine influence. Crews remain actively engaged along this portion of the incident, monitoring fire movement and reinforcing control features as conditions allow.
“On the upper portion of the incident, fire activity continues to influence areas toward South Coast Ridge Road. Dozers and ground resources are extending, improving, and strengthening approximately seven miles of containment line associated with the South Coast Ridge Road system. These control features continue to hold, and crews will focus today on increasing line depth, improving access, and securing areas where fire activity could challenge established containment feature.”
Nearly 500 personnel had been assigned to the Plaskett Fire, supported by 36 fire engines, six helicopters and numerous air tankers, according to the California Post.
Those resources were being used both to protect communities closer to Highway 1 and to reinforce containment lines along South Coast Ridge Road, where bulldozers and firefighters had established approximately seven miles of defensive line.
The Plaskett Fire is burning as firefighters simultaneously battle the nearby Timber Fire, which has already scorched more than 24,000 acres.
Together, the two fires have burned more than 32,000 acres near Big Sur.
Approximately 1,300 firefighters had been assigned to the Timber Fire by the weekend and had made some progress, although neither the Timber nor Plaskett fires was fully contained.
The overlapping emergencies have disrupted one of California’s best-known tourism areas during the summer visitor season.
Businesses in Big Sur have closed as evacuations, highway restrictions and wildfire conditions keep travelers away. One local business owner described the timing of the closures as a “gut punch.”
Highway 1 is particularly important to the region because it serves both local communities and tourists traveling through the coastal corridor. The road’s closure across roughly 40 miles has further isolated areas already affected by evacuation orders and fire activity.
Local officials are pressing California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, to issue an emergency declaration that they say could make additional state resources available.
Monterey County Supervisor Kate Daniels said the scale of the emergency warrants such action.
“That would help us get more resources to this fire,” Daniels said. “I think, in my opinion, it qualifies as an emergency. I think an emergency should be declared.”
As of 10 a.m. Pacific time Sunday, Newsom had not publicly weighed in on the fire.
Firefighters remained focused on protecting homes, strengthening containment lines and preventing further movement toward Highway 1 as the Plaskett Fire continued burning across steep terrain near Big Sur.
The combination of the Plaskett and Timber fires has now created a major wildfire emergency along the Monterey County coast, with thousands of acres burned, hundreds of firefighters deployed, businesses closed, residents displaced and one of California’s most recognizable highways partially shut down as crews work to gain control of both blazes.
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