In today's newscast:
Staying in Big Sur during fire
The Timber Fire in Big Sur has reached 4,545 acres as of 8 a.m. Friday. But, some people have stayed to try to protect property.
Kirk Gafill is the general manager of Nepenthe Restaurant and president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce. Nepenthe is closed and in the evacuation zone, but Gafill is still there, not far from the fire.
" If it's very calm and there's no wind to speak of, 2,000 feet's a lot of distance," he said Thursday. "If it's windy and gusty and you have windblown embers, that is far too close."
He says staying behind means accepting emergency services aren’t available.
The Community Association of Big Sur estimates 230 people remain in evacuation zones. Monterey County officials say approximately 500 people were in the five zones with evacuation orders when they were issued.
No structure losses have been reported, but Gafill says water systems have been damaged.
"Loss of water tanks, catch basins, settling tanks, damaged water lines..."
He calls local business closures a 'gut punch' during what should be the busiest time of year, especially after three years of road closures from landslides.
Gafill worries about slides this winter, but he hopes there’s still enough time for plants to stabilize the slopes.
El Niño's warmer waters attract different critters
With this year’s El Niño weather pattern expected to be especially significant, scientists are forecasting changes in marine life.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife manager John Ugoretz says ocean critters that don’t typically call Monterey Bay home will likely be visiting.
"Things like California sheephead, which are a Southern California species," he said, "as well as even some California spiny lobster, which are pretty unusual to see in Monterey, but they do come up in the El Niño events."
He’s also predicting more juvenile white shark sightings.
He says while the super El Niño brings opportunities to see things out of the ordinary, people should always be alert when in the ocean.
