Big Sur Fires: Information, Resources and Map
The Timber Fire in Big Sur started Aug. 8, causing hundreds of residents to evacuate.
The Plaskett Fire started the morning of Aug. 26 and also prompted evacuations.
See below for a list of resources, updates, and a live map of the fires and evacuations.
An evacuation order is a lawful order to leave immediately.
An evacuation warning indicates a potential threat to life/property. Prepare to leave. If you need extra time to evacuate, consider doing so now.
A shelter-in-place order means you should stay put and not try to leave. Ahead of a shelter-in-place order, residents should be prepared to sustain themselves for at least seven days. If that's not possible, it's recommended to leave before the shelter-in-place order goes into effect.
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For the latest local information on the incident, including evacuations and shelter locations, visit the Monterey County Emergency Information page.
Visit the U.S. Forest Service's incident pages for the Timber Fire and Plaskett Fire for the latest information on acreage and progress.
As of Sep. 14, Caltrans has reopened all of Highway 1 through Big Sur. Firefighting operations for the Timber and Plaskett fires continue. Cal Fire has urged visitors to avoid the area if possible, until the fires are contained.
Call SPCA Monterey County for help with large animals or other pets during evacuation: 831-373-2631 during the day or 831-646-5534 after hours for emergency assistance. Click the link above for more information.
Air quality information:
Traffic information from Caltrans
KAZU News Coverage
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Katie Brown/KAZU NewsIn this week's news roundup, KAZU reporter Katie Brown talked to folks in Big Sur pitching in to keep the fires contained and crews comfortable. -
Katie Brown/KAZU NewsThe Plaskett Fire is nearly 80% contained. A nearby resort has offered free showers to fire crews since the blaze began. And, the US Justice Department is investigating Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles. -
Katie Brown/KAZU NewsThe Timber and Plaskett fires in Big Sur together have now burned more than 55,000 acres. And, lawmakers have sent two bills to the governor that aim to improve the recovery process after a wildfire. -
Katie Brown/KAZU NewsContainment of the Plaskett Fire has reached 61% amid worsening air quality conditions in some places. And, a bill the governor’s desk would force government agencies to share information about emergency calls made from immigration detention centers.
Highway 1 reopens in full, Plaskett Fire evacuations downgraded
As of Sep. 14, Caltrans has reopened all of Highway 1 through Big Sur. Firefighting operations for the Timber and Plaskett fires continue. Cal Fire has urged visitors to avoid the area if possible, until the fires are contained.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office has downgraded three evacuation orders to warnings near the Plaskett Fire, and removed warnings for five others, returning those zones to "normal status."
Zones MRY-F034, MRY-F035 and MRY-F036 are now evacuation warnings.
Evacuation warnings for zones MRY-F037-A, MRY-F037-B, MRY-F038-A, MRY-F038-B and MRY-F039 are lifted. Those zones are no longer any evacuation orders or warnings.
See our Evacuations tab for a full list of orders and warnings that remain in place.
Highway 1 closure shrinks, two evacuation orders are downgraded to warnings
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office downgraded two evacuation orders near the Plaskett Fire to warnings. Residents in zones MRY-F037-B and MRY-F038-B are now under evacuation warnings, and should be prepared to leave if an order is issued. See our full list of evacuation orders and warnings.
The southern end of the Highway 1 closure has moved north to its intersection with Los Burros road, just north of Treebones Resort. There is still a hard closure at Kirk Creek Campground south of Lucia. See map below for details:
Please note that KAZU staff will not update this page over the weekend. Continue to monitor Monterey County's Emergency Alert site for the latest orders from the sheriff's office.
Some evacuation orders are downgraded to warnings near the Plaskett Fire
Significant progress was made overnight on the Plaskett Fire, which is 61% contained at 29,862 acres as of Wednesday morning.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office has changed several evacuation warnings and orders near the Plaskett Fire.
From the Monterey County alert:
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office has split Evacuation Zones MRY-F037 and MRY-F038 related to the Plaskett Fire. The new zones are: MRY-F037-A, MRY-F037-B, MRY-F038-A, and MRY-F038-B.
Zones MRY-F037-A and MRY-F038-A, south of Los Burros Road and east of Highway 1, are being downgraded from an Evacuation Order to an Evacuation WARNING. The Evacuation ORDER remains in place for MRY-F037-B and MRY-F038-B. Highway 1 closure will be moved to MM 10.5. Tree Bones Resort will NOT open as a result of this change.
The evacuations in northern San Luis Obispo County were also lifted.
For a full list of current evacuation warnings and orders, see our Evacuations tab.
The Timber Fire is mapped at 25,380 acres and is 27% contained. A heat advisory is in effect in the Central Coast region through 10 p.m. Thursday. In its morning report, the U.S. Forest Service said the hot, dry weather could cause the Timber Fire to rekindle and increase smoke production with "the potential for moderate fire activity after several days of quieter fire behavior."
Plaskett Fire reaches 47% containment
The Plaskett Fire reached 47% containment after a weekend of favorable conditions for firefighters, according to the U.S. Forest Services. The fire is currently 29,862 acres in size.
The Timber Fire grew slightly to 25,380 and is 27% contained, as the weather becomes hotter and drier.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for tomorrow, Wednesday, Sep. 9, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 80s in Big Sur on Wednesday and Thursday.
Containment jumps to 19% for Plaskett fire
The Plaskett Fire has reached 19% containment, a significant increase from the single percentage point that had held since the fire began. The U.S. Forest Service reports that it has burned 29,702 acres as of earlier today. While the northern end of Highway 1 in Big Sur reopened yesterday, the southern closure remains in place.
The Timber Fire remains relatively stable at 25,346 acres and 23% contained.
KAZU will have more reporting from the fire line next week. For Monterey County travelers planning a trip to Big Sur this Labor Day weekend, Cal Fire has an important message: please reconsider:
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira says the fire is still very active, and increased traffic from tourists could cause delays for firefighters and residents who are transiting the recently re-opened stretch of Highway 1 near the Timber Fire.
Please note: KAZU staff will not actively update this blog over the holiday weekend. Find updates using the links on the Resources tab, and by checking www.readymontereycounty.org for the latest alerts from Monterey County.
Several evacuation orders will be downgraded to warnings around Timber Fire, northern closure of Highway 1 to reopen.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office announced plans to downgrade evacuation orders to evacuation warnings tomorrow for several zones near the Timber Fire. All shelter-in-place orders will also end.
The following zones are expected to change to evacuation warnings at 6 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3:
• MRY-F016
• MRY-F017
• MRY-F018
• MRY-F019
• MRY-F021-A
• MRY-F021-B
• MRY-F022
• MRY-F023-A
• MRY-F024
• MRY-F026
• MRY-F027-A
Caltrans will also lift the northern closure on Highway 1 at 6 a.m. tomorrow, which spanned from the Little Sur River to just south of the Big Sur Post Office. The southern closure, from Pacific Valley to Gorda, will remain closed due to the Plaskett Fire.
The Timber Fire is still burning over 25,000 acres, and is 22% contained.
Continue to monitor Monterey County's alerts page (alertmry.org/alerts) for the latest information.
The Plaskett Fire nears 30,000 acres as the Timber Fire's growth slows
As of 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sep. 2, the Plaskett Fire is burning at 28,968 acres, according to the most recent update from the U.S. Forest Service. The fire is only 1% contained.
The Forest Service reported in its daily update the fire's eastern edge remains the main area of concern. The terrain between the Big Sur coast and Fort Hunter-Liggett is incredibly steep and rugged, making it difficult to access. The area "has not experienced significant fire in over 50 years." That means fuels have built up, allowing the fire to spread.
Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect, with no recent changes.
At 27,580 acres, the Plaskett Fire is now larger than the Timber Fire
The Plaskett Fire continues to aggressively burn in southern Monterey County and northern San Luis Obispo County, including parts of the Ventana Wilderness, the Silver Peaks Wilderness, and Fort Hunter-Liggett. It has more than quadrupled in size over the last four days, from around 6,000 acres on Saturday, Aug. 29, to over 27,000 acres as of 1 p.m. today (Sep. 1). The fire is only 1% contained.
The U.S. Forest Service reports the fire is burning in an area with steep, inaccessible terrain and a high concentration of fuels. Cooler weather and a deep marine layer forecasted for the upcoming days could prove helpful for firefighting efforts.
There are currently 955 firefighters assigned to the Plaskett Fire.
Correction (Sep. 2) This post originally said the Plaskett Fire is burning in parts of the Ventana Wilderness. However, the fire perimeter is actually south of the wilderness area. The Timber Fire is burning in parts of Ventana Wilderness, while the Plaskett Fire is burning primarily in the Los Padres National Forest, including the Silver Peaks Wilderness, and Fort Hunter-Liggett.
The Plaskett Fire nearly doubles in size, edging close to 16,000 acres
The Plaskett Fire nearly doubled in size yesterday with Cal Fire reporting that 15,479 acres are burning as of this morning. The fire is only 1% contained.
According to Cal Fire's most recent update, the fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain where vegetation is thick, and is growing towards Highway 1 on its western edge and toward Fort Hunter Liggett on the east, prompting a slew of new evacuations. The fire also has potential to grow to the south.
Meanwhile, the Timber fire has remained relatively steady. It is currently burning 24,970 acres and is 21% contained.
KAZU has updated the evacuations and shelter-in-place orders on our Resources tab.
Plaskett fire grows by thousands of acres
Cal Fire reports the Plaskett fire is currently over 8,200 acres and is just 1% contained, up from nearly 6,000 acres yesterday afternoon.
The Timber fire is over 24,800 acres and is 21% contained. It is the largest fire currently burning in California, and the third largest fire this year.
KAZU's table of evacuations and shelter-in-place orders on our Resources tab is accurate as of Sunday, Aug. 30 at 10:15 a.m. Continue to monitor Monterey County's emergency information page, and the latest alerts at alertmry.org, for the most up-to-date information.
New Plaskett Fire evacuation order and warnings
On Saturday afternoon, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office updated Zone MRY-F037 from an evacuation warning to an evacuation order.
In addition, evacuation warnings have been added for MRY-F038 and MRY-F039.
Note, these changes are not yet reflected on our table of evacuations, but the Timber Fire Map tab is correct for both fires.
The Plaskett Fire is now estimated at 5,924 acres.
The Timber Fire now covers approximately 24,408 acres.
Highway 1 closures in Big Sur, new evacuations and shelter-in-place orders
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office has closed two stretches of Highway 1.
The northern closure starts near the Big Sur River Inn (mile marker 56) and continues approximately 11 miles south to mile marker 45.
The southern closure starts at Gorda (mile marker 10.2) and continues north until mile marker 16.
New Plaskett Fire Evacuation Warnings and Orders
New evacuation orders for the Plaskett Fire were issued for zones MRY-F034 and MRY-G016.
A new evacuation warning for the Plaskett Fire was issued for zone MRY-G015.
New Timber Fire Evacuation Warnings and Orders, and Shelter-in-Place
New evacuation orders for the Timber Fire were issued for zones MRY-F015-A, MRY-F016, MRY-F017, MRY-F020.
A new evacuation warning was issued for zone MRY-F014.
A new shelter-in-place order was issued for zone MRY-F018 and MRY-F019.
New Plaskett Fire evacuation order and warnings
Monterey County has added another evacuation order and two more warnings due to the Plaskett Fire.
Zone MRY-F035 is now under an Evacuation Order (leave now).
Zones MRY-F033 and MRY-F034 are now under an Evacuation Warning.
The additions connect the Timber Fire and Plaskett Fire evacuation warnings.
County corrects road closure
Monterey County has sent out a correction to the Highway 1 road closure that began at 1 p.m. today:
"The highway will be entirely closed to all traffic between Mile Marker 50.1 (between Andrew Molera State Park entrance and the Captain Cooper School entrance) and Mile Marker 45," according to a message from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff issues shelter-in-place, new orders and warnings starting Thursday at 1 p.m.
Firefighting activity planned for Thursday or Friday, depending on weather and fire behavior, has prompted the Monterey County Sheriff's Office to change some of the existing evacuation orders and warnings, and to initiate some shelter-in-place directives.
The following zones have been upgraded from evacuation warnings to evacuation orders:
• MRY-F022
• MRY-F023-A
• MRY-F025
Evacuation warnings have been added for:
• MRY-F019
• MRY-F018
And, the sheriff's office has added the following shelter-in-place directives as "a temporary protective measure to allow active firefighting and backburning operations."
• MRY-F021-B
• MRY-F024
• MRY-F026
• MRY-F027-A
• MRY-F021-A
In a press release, the sheriff's office says anyone choosing to stay put during a shelter-in-place should be prepared to be self-sustaining for up to a week.
Highway 1 will be closed from MM 50 to MM 42.6, also beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday, to support the firefighting efforts and protect safety, according to the statement.
Plaskett Fire starts
Another fire has broken out in Big Sur, south of the Timber Fire. The Plaskett Fire started today east of Los Burros Road. Though it is currently only 40 acres, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation order for Zone MRY-F036. There are also evacuation warnings for Zones MRY-F035 and MRY-F037.
Meanwhile, the Timber Fire is currently the second largest fire in the state. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, it was measured at 18,988 and 23% contained. Ten evacuation orders remain in place for that fire. See the full list of evacuations for both fires in the Resources tab above.
The acreage has been updated since this post originally published.
New evacuation orders and warnings as fire nears 16,000 acres, Los Padres National Forest closures in effect
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office has issued two new evacuation orders for zones MRY-F015-B and MRY-F023-B. The office also issued new evacuation warnings for zones MRY-F015-A, MRY-F020 and MRY-F023-A.
The fire has grown to nearly 16,000 acres and is 26% contained.
A large swath of the Los Padres National Forest is closed, including the popular Pine Ridge trail that leads to Sykes Hot Springs. See a full list of closed trails here.
Timber Fire grows to over 12,600 acres, Highway 1 reopened over the weekend
Dry conditions continue to prevail, as CalFire reports the Timber Fire's northern and eastern boundaries have merged, causing an increase in acreage in the Ventana Wilderness towards Ventana Cone peak. The rugged terrain of the mountains means that aircraft will be supporting crews with water and retardant drops.
As of this morning, CalFire reported that 661 structures were threatened.
Highway 1 reopened in both directions on Saturday, after 12 days of closure.
Significant increase in fire activity prompts new round of evacuations
Dry conditions fueled increased fire activity over the weekend, causing the Timber Fire to grow significantly. Cal Fire reports the fire is 12,108 acres in size, and 25% contained as of Sunday afternoon.
The fire has prompted more evacuation orders and warnings. See the full list on our resources and map tabs.
Monterey County's Office of Emergency Services and CalFire continue to maintain up-to-date incident pages.
Partial zone evacuation order downgraded, fire acreage reaches 5,530 acres
The Monterey County Sheriff's office reports that Zone MRY-F027 has been split into two zones, MRY-F027-A and MRY- F027-B.
For Zone MRY-F027-A, the Evacuation Order has been reduced to an Evacuation Warning.
Zone MRY-F027-B remains under an Evacuation Order.
Also, the county says the temporary shelter at Carmel Middle School has been closed, with the Big Sur River Inn providing places for the two remaining evacuees to stay.
The fire is currently estimated at about 5,530 acres, per the monitoring app Watch Duty.
Several evacuation orders downgraded to warnings
Zones MRY-F023, MRY-F025, and MRY-F026 are now under an evacuation warning, downgraded from a previous evacuation order.
Cal Fire reported there was minimal fire activity last night as firefighting operations continue.
An evacuation warning remains in place for: MRY-FO21-B, MRY-FO22, MRY-F024, MRY-FO23, MRY-F025, MRY-F026, MRY-F028-B, and MRY-FO29. Evacuation orders are in place for MRY-F027 and MRY-F028-A. See our live map for details.
Assume that an evacuation order could follow an evacuation warning, and take time to prepare now.
From the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services information page: "We ask everyone in the affected areas to continue to monitor fire updates for the latest information and changes to fire activity. When an Evacuation Warning is issued, assume an evacuation order could follow. This is your window to get ready: pack a go-bag, gather essential items, and make arrangements, especially if you have pets, large animals, or if you need extra time or assistance to leave."
As of 4 p.m., the fire's size is being reported at 5,269 acres and is 21% contained.
Cal Fire | 
Cal Fire
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Acreage tops 5,000, containment up to 17%
As of 6:00 p.m. on Sunday Aug. 16, the Timber Fire has grown to 5,103 acres and containment is now 17%, according to Cal Fire.
Monterey County officials say seven people and one dog are staying overnight at the temporary shelter set up at Carmel Middle School and 26 people are registered for meals there.
In addition to the existing evacuation orders, which remain in place, some additional areas of the Los Padres National Forest have been closed. Details on the closure are here.
The 10-mile closure of Hwy. 1 in both directions near the fire continues.
The Timber Fire is now 4,655 acres, 12% contained
PG&E is reporting a power outage in areas near the fire, affecting an estimated 89 customers.
A temporary evacuation point (TEP) was added on Friday, 8/14 at Carmel Valley Library, 65 W. Carmel Valley Rd. This evacuation point is open Friday, Aug. 14 through Monday, Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day.
From the Monterey County Department of Emergency Management:
Questions call (831) 647-7760 or (800) 322-6884 and follow the phone prompts to the library. Call or visit for updates, resources, and connecting residents of Big Sur and other impacted areas with support related to the Timber Fire. Free parking, free wireless internet.
The TEP provides a designated location for evacuees to temporarily gather, receive incident information and resource referrals, and coordinate next steps as conditions evolve. Residents in Evacuation Order Areas can request sheltering resources at the TEP in person.
The TEP is staffed by Monterey Free Libraries. Snacks and water are provided.Monterey County Department of Emergency Management
Highway 1 remains closed from mile marker 45.1 to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Vista Point at mile marker 31. Evacuation orders and warnings are still in place.
Timber Fire Update: 4,545 acres with 7% containment.
The Timber Fire is currently mapped at 4,545 acres, with 7% containment, according to Cal Fire. About 1,400 firefighters are responding to the blaze.
U.S. Hwy 1 remains closed from mile marker 45.1 to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Vista Point at mile marker 31.
Click the Timber Fire Map tab above to see the latest evacuation zones