Jun 27, 2008 12:13 am US/Pacific
Big Sur Fire Threat Rises; Smoke Invades Bay Area
BIG SUR (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
Flames from a massive wildfire burning through the Los Padres National Forest inched toward the town of Big Sur, where firefighters rushed Thursday to protect historic structures and hundreds of homes in this scenic tourist destination.
The blaze near Big Sur was one of hundreds of wildfires that have so far burned almost 250 square miles in Northern California despite the efforts of more than 12,000 firefighters.
Smoke from all the wildfires burning throughout the region made the sun appear pink as it rose Thursday and caused health concerns. Bay Area residents were warned to expect more days of smoke-filled and hazy skies.
Monterey County
The Galery Fire in the Los Padres National Forest was only 3 percent contained Thursday and had burned nearly 42 square miles near the coast about a mile south of Big Sur, officials said.
As the lightning-sparked blaze crept closer to California's coastal State Highway 1, fire engines stood guard next to rustic buildings as thick smoke and ash drifted out over the Pacific Ocean.
Firefighters fortified their lines near populated areas, where about 575 homes were threatenedbut were letting the fire rage nearly unchecked through steep mountain forests as flames torched massive redwoods and sent them toppling.
The fire has destroyed 16 homes since breaking out Saturday, and officials issued voluntary evacuation notices to residents in 75 homes along the Partington Ridge area threatened by the blaze.
"This is not going away anytime soon," said Mark Savage, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. "We're gearing up as opposed to gearing down. We do expect low humidities and very active fire tonight above the marine layer."
Fire officials added that the Gallery Fire was expected to merge with the nearby, smaller and uncontained Basin Fire, into one even larger blaze.
The fires burned less than a half-mile apart early Thursday and fire officials said flames were expected to close that distance and burn together soon.
The fires have cost $1,332,200 to fight, and steep, rocky terrain and dry gusty winds continued to make suppression difficult — increasing the threat to Big Sur.
A popular tourist spot along the towering cliffs of the central California coast, Big Sur is also a storied destination for generations of American writers.
A library named after "Tropic of Cancer" author Henry Miller, who spent the last years of his life at Big Sur, was directly threatened by the fire, but firefighters Thursday beat back the flames, fire spokesman Curtis Vincent said.
Just down the road, firefighters maintained fire lines and doused flames near the wooden cabins of Deetjen's Big Sur Inn, which had been evacuated Sunday morning.
Hal Newell, who lives in a small wooden house on a ridge just above the bed and breakfast, dropped by to check on his home for the first time since he and his family were forced to flee five days earlier.
"I feel real glad to still have a place to live," said Newell, who has lived in Big Sur since he was born in 1938.
Residents living south of the fires were told Thursday to prepare for additional evacuations.
The American Red Cross was prepared to open an evacuation center in Carmel if further evacuation orders were placed, and the Monterey County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it would open a shelter for household pets adjacent to any evacuation center.
Authorities closed a long stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway threatened by the blaze — between the Ventana Inn and the Esalen Institute, which shut off access to several lodges, restaurants and art galleries that depend on tourist traffic.
At the Esalen Institute, a popular New Age retreat center, about 120 employees were finalizing plans to defend the 30-acre property if the fire jumped the highway and headed their way, said executive director Harry Feinberg.
"There's no way of predicting what the fire's going to do," Feinberg said. "We're just trying to keep everyone calm."
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park was also closed, and motorists who had planned to drive south along the coast were forced to turn around.
Dutch travelers Joost Ueberbach, 28, and Gemma Arts, 27, had wanted to drive through Big Sur on their way to Los Angeles from San Francisco in their rented Chevrolet Cobalt when they ran into the roadblock Thursday.
"We knew there was a fire somewhere, but we didn't know the road was blocked," Ueberbach said. "We had hoped to see the nice views of the coastline. I guess it's just bad luck."
About 20 miles east of the combined Big Sur fire, the state's largest wildfire continued to vex firefighters in a more remote area of the Los Padres forest.
The Indians Fire had scorched more than 92 square miles and destroyed two homes so far. The blaze, sparked by an escaped campfire on June 8, was 71 percent contained.
Monterey sheriff's officials said mandatory evacuation orders were in place for the Indians Fire, but could not specify how many people were forced from their homes.
Firefighters expected to have the blaze fully contained July 3 and said suppression costs so far had reached $33.8 million.
Lake County
In rural Lake County, a fire that had burned nearly 23 square miles since Sunday sent smoke drifting 150 miles south to the Bay Area, where air quality warnings were in effect.
Bay Area Smoke & Haze
The National Weather Service predicted that smoke and haze would continue to cover an area from Monterey County northward to the North Bay through at least day's end Friday.
West winds expected to materialize along the coast of the Peninsula should relieve residents who live at sea level of some of the smoke, but smoke levels will not improve in most inland areas, weather service meteorologist Dan Gudgel said.
According to the the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties were all expected to experience unhealthy air for yet another day Friday.
"For the next few days, we are expecting air quality in the Bay Area to continue to be impacted by the Northern California wildfires," said Air District Communications Director Lisa Fasano. "We will continue to issue air quality forecasts and advise the public to take appropriate precautions."
The smoke had restricted visibility in most of the state, Gudgel added.
The Weather Service also predicted more dry lightning toward the end of the week, although forecasters did not expect as severe an electrical storm as last weekend, when nearly 8,000 lightning strikes sparked about 800 fires across Northern California.
Butte County
Authorities told residents in about 1,200 Butte County homes to evacuate immediately as 29 lightning-sparked fires covering about 11 square miles raged.
The blazes, which were only 5 percent contained, cropped up just as the county was recovering from a fire that charred 74 homes and 36 square miles earlier this month.
Fire crews from 41 states have arrived to help California firefighters battle hundreds of blazes that are darkening skies over the region.
Mendocino CountyOther areas hit hard by the recent lightning storms included Mendocino County, where 106 fires have burned more than 33 square miles and destroyed two homes. The blazes threatened about 500 more homes.
In the Shasta-Trinity Forest, more than 150 fires have burned about 34 square miles and threatened hundreds of homes, forcing several evacuations.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency in Shasta and Mendocino counties Thursday to free up additional resources for firefighting. He issued similar declarations for Monterey and Trinity counties on Monday.
4th Of July Cancelations
The threat of fire has already led some communities across Northern California to nix plans for Fourth of July fireworks displays.
And in Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, where the nearby Trabing Fire had recently burned about 630 acres and destroyed 10 homes, city council members voted unanimously to ban the sale and use of all fireworks by individuals.
Smoky air also has canceled the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, from Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe to Auburn in the Sierra foothills, for the first time in the grueling ultra-marathon's 31-year history.
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