Firefighters struggling to get a handle on Timber fire as blaze surges again in Big Sur
This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.
Set us as preferred Almost 20 days after the Timber fire broke out in Big Sur, threatening hundreds of residents and structures as well as beloved local businesses, the fire is continuing to grow at a rapid pace, officials said.On Thursday, the Timber fire grew about 4,000 acres over the course of the day, said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira.
It surged from roughly 19,000 acres in the morning to more than 23,000 acres as of around 7:30 p.m.Meanwhile, another fast-moving wildfire has broken out nearby in Monterey County, the uncontained Plaskett fire, which ignited Tuesday in a remote area about 30 miles down the coast from the Timber fire and has grown to about 140 acres.“It’s a blessing and a curse to have another incident that close,” Silveira said.
“The blessing is that we were able to flex resources down into the area and try for a very aggressive initial attack.” But he said “the curse” is that it takes time to bring in additional resources to fight the Timber fire.The Timber fire is 21% contained, Cal Fire said in an update Thursday.
That’s a decrease from Sunday, when the fire was 25% contained.The Timber fire grew in size at a quicker rate than crews could build new control lines, Silveira said.
Firefighters are battling the fire in steep, rugged terrain, which he said had prevented crews from finding “advantageous points” to fight the fire.Strong, erratic winds have made the going tough for fire crews, and red flag fire conditions are expected Friday.There have been no civilian or firefighter injuries so far, Silveira said, and no structures have been damaged or destroyed, though there he said there had been some close calls at homes in the fire’s path.“We’ve had the fire interact with the clearing around some of those houses in some instances,” Silveira said, but homeowners in ...