Big Sur Fires Cost Around $80 Million So Far, Could Burn Until October Rains
As firefighters continue to battle the two major blazes in the Big Sur area, the U.S. Forest Service estimates that the Timber and Plaskett fires have cost $80 million so far and could burn until October.
The Plaskett Fire near Big Sur almost doubled in size over the weekend, burning 15,479 acres with just 1% containment. The fire triggered new evacuation orders on Sunday, in both Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, and has ignited land that has not burned since the 1970s, said Lee Beyer, a U.S. Forest Service spokesperson.
The nearly 25,000-acre Timber Fire, now in its fourth week, slowed overnight thanks to a change in weather, which draped a thick marine layer over Highway 1, said Josh Silveira, a Cal Fire spokesperson.
It remains the third-largest wildfire in California this year, according to Cal Fire.
In an email to KQED, the Forest Service estimated that fighting the blazes has racked up $80 million in firefighting costs so far, due to the use of “expensive” aircraft.
“Given the remote and difficult terrain and the high value of the communities at risk along the Big Sur coast, we have used a lot of aircraft,” Beyer wrote.
Silveira warned the weather may get warmer and drier midweek, which could “potentially put the fire into conditions where it’s going to grow a little more steadily.”
Fires in Big Sur can burn into October, Beyer said, when early winter rain can fully extinguish the most remote flames.
Silveira said fires in this part of the Ventana Wilderness — the rugged, mountainous area just inland from Big Sur — typically last longer “because they are so remote, so difficult to access.”
“There’s some hiking trails that lead back into the backcountry, but there’s no real vehicle access,” Silveira said. “So that steep, really rugged, inaccessible terrain is a historic challenge that we’ve had on all the fires in this area. And that’s one of the reasons that we love the Big Sur coast because it is that untamed natural beauty. On the back end of it, though, it just makes things difficult when we do get fires.”
Road closures remain in effect on U.S. Highway 1 between Little Sur River and Salmon Creek. Smoke from the fires is expected to impact air quality in the Bay Area on Monday and Tuesday, the air district said Monday.
Silveira added that “monsoonal moisture,” or the humid, rainy weather on Monday, combined with southerly winds, will push the smoke towards the Bay Area. Though the smoke will stay relatively high in the sky, “residents in the Bay should be aware that there is going to be smoke from both of these fires in the area.”
Firefighters from across the state, including engine strike teams from Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Alameda counties — and from across the country — have helped manage the flames, he added.
Two firefighters have been injured so far, and no civilians have been injured, Silveira said. Cal Fire has not yet identified the cause of the fire, citing dangerous conditions for investigators.
“The community does an amazing job with home hardening and preparedness because they’ve lived through fires in this area,” Silveira said.
Evacuation shelters remain open at Carmel Mission Inn Conference Room in Carmel and the Veteran’s Building in Cambria. Monterey County’s SPCA is providing emergency rescue and sheltering for animals impacted.
KQED’s Christopher Alam contributed to this report.