Jul 25, 2008 7:39 pm US/Pacific
Most CA Fires Contained; Big Sur Campers Returning
BIG SUR (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP / BCN) ―
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Two firefighters watch smoke from a wildfire near Big Sur earlier this month.
AP
California fire officials said Friday that the thousands of blazes sparked by a massive lightning storm were 98 percent contained after burning for more than a month.
The fires had burned more than 1 million acres and involved the efforts of more than 12,000 firefighting personnel, including assistance from agencies across the state, nation and from several foreign countries.
There have been 158 residences destroyed by the fires, along with one commercial building and 139 outbuildings, Cal Fire said.
Of the more than 2,000 fires ignited during the June 21 storm, only 27 were actively burning Friday.
Monterey County
The progress prompted the Monterey County Sheriff's Department to announce it would lift the remaining road closures and voluntary evacuation orders in effect near Big Sur by Friday evening at 6 p.m.
The lifting of voluntary evacuations and the opening of Big Sur's popular central coast camping areas mean that tourists and locals can begin flocking back to one of California's popular destination spots.
Usually it's hard to find a spot to stay in Big Sur during July and August, but with many vacationers likely scared away by recent wildfires, opportunity knocks for tourists.
"Everything that we can open in our parks in Big Sur we are opening up to the public," said Matt Fuzie, District Superintendent of California State Parks Monterey District, who says the fires are now confined to remote areas.
Visitors will see burned areas driving along Highway 1, but 218 campsites at popular Pfeifer Big Sur State Park were now available.
Even if you made reservations seven months ago, Fuzie said they would still be honored.
The last piece of the containment line burned out Thursday in the Basin Complex Fire, tying in the containment perimeter.
The fire, which began June 21, was 79 percent contained as of Friday and had burned 152,211 acres so far. There were a total of nine injuries reported, and 26 houses and 32 other structures were destroyed by the flames.
Fire crews were expected to continue working on the containment lines over the next few days, and would likely have the fire completely contained by Wednesday. The cost of suppressing the blaze had reached $71.9 million as of Friday.
Other Fires
Fire officials warned that fire danger still remains very high throughout the state.
Several small communities still were under mandatory evacuation orders in Trinity County because of a wildfire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Areas of Humboldt County also remained under mandatory evacuation orders at this time, while voluntary evacuation orders currently existed in certain areas of Siskiyou County.
Bay Area Air Quality
Smoke from the remaining 27 active fires returned Friday to parts of the Bay Area.
Bay Area Air Quality Management District spokeswoman Lisa Fasano said the air district was receiving calls from people who reported smelling smoke, but so far the district's air monitors had not detected air pollution levels above the federal air quality standards.
Levels of particulate matter in San Francisco, San Jose and Napa, however, were beginning to approach levels considered dangerous by the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday, Fasano said.
Large amounts of smoke remained in the upper atmosphere, which had been causing the hazy skies in the region, but as winds shifted, some of that smoke was coming back down and mixing with ground-level air. Some of the smoke could also be blowing over from the fires themselves.
The amount of smoke people could smell at the ground depended on the wind, which had been unpredictable, Fasano said.
People who smell or see smoke should limit outdoor activity and those who are particularly sensitive to air pollution should stay inside with the air conditioner on re-circulation, Fasano said.
The air district said it would issue an air quality advisory if pollution reached unsafe levels.
Cal Fire updates on major blazes currently burning in the state are available online at: http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_current.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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