The three-week-old Soberanes Fire, which has now burned over 70,000 acres and is 55 percent contained, continues to encroach on the majestic redwood groves and tourist attractions of Big Sur. As CalFire announced Friday, in the firefighting effort to contain the blaze and prevent it from burning more of the Big Sur Area, parts of Highway 1 will have to be shut down intermittently this weekend, and thus everyone is being told to avoid the area.
As KRON 4 reports, closure of the highway could happen anytime Friday or Saturday, and a full closure may last as long as 48 hours.
The fire is also going to put a damper on the annual Car Week and the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach, as Monterey County Weekly reports. Parts of Highway 1 north of Big Sur are typically used for the Tour d'Elegance parade of collector cars, which is scheduled to take place next Thursday, August 18.
Currently, 4,822 firefighters are helping to extinguish the blaze, which began July 22 with an illegal campfire in Garrapata State Park that was left unattended.
One man, a contracted bulldozer operator, was killed in an accident related to the firefight. In total, 57 homes have been destroyed, and that number has not changed in over a week. Full containment isn't expected until the end of the month.
While the SF Zen Center's Tassajara retreat remains under an evacuation warning, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center reports via Facebook that they remain optimistic, and as of yesterday the fire appeared to be staying at bay. "The fire didn't increase overnight which is good news, and is still the same distance from Tassajara," they write, noting that the fire remains 10.35 miles away at its closest point. "The air quality there is good. May it continue."
