Authorities ordered the remaining residents of this scenic coastal community to leave on Wednesday because an out-of-control wildfire, one of hundreds in California, had jumped a fire line and was threatening more homes.
Flames raged in the hills above and ash fell from orange skies as evacuees in packed cars streamed north along Highway 1, the only major road out of Big Sur. Sheriff’s deputies told residents they needed to leave the area by late afternoon.
The blaze near Big Sur is one of more than 1,100 wildfires, mostly ignited by lightning, that have scorched almost 2,000km² and destroyed 64 homes and buildings across northern and central California since June 20, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
PHOTO: AP/THE MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD
New mandatory evacuation notices were issued on Wednesday for a 50km stretch along Highway 1. Authorities have closed a total of 40km of the scenic roadway, blocking access to popular resorts, restaurants, shops and art galleries that attract tourists from around the world.
The blaze had destroyed 16 homes and charred about 210km² of forest since it was started by lightning on June 21 in the Los Padres National Forest. It was only about 3 percent contained and officials told evacuees at a public meeting on Wednesday evening that they did not expect full containment until the end of the month.
The new evacuation notice means that all of the roughly 850 residents who live along the Big Sur coast from Andrew Molera State Park to Limekiln State Park have been ordered to leave, Marshall said.
Helicopters hauling large containers of water droned loudly overhead as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, R. David Paulison, visited Big Sur on Wednesday.
“This is a very dangerous fire right now because of the wind and because of how dry things are and how early in the year it is,” Paulison said in an interview. “If people evacuate like they’re told to, we shouldn’t lose any lives … My only concern is that people don’t take it seriously enough.”
Federal fire managers predict an increase in severe wildfire activity in northern California through October due to the unusually hot, dry weather and scant rain.
In Southern California, a fire in the Los Padres forest north of Santa Barbara prompted mandatory evacuations of about 45 people in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Officials said that fire had burned nearly 81 hectares of heavy brush on Wednesday and about 200 homes were threatened.
Officials said the fire had burned 485 hectares of rough terrain by Wednesday evening.
Elsewhere, a wildfire threatened 15 homes and the Okanogan tribal bingo casino near Okanogan, Washington, and some residents had been evacuated, said Ron Bowen of the state fire marshal’s office.
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