Jul 4, 2008 12:12 am US/Pacific
Massive Wildfire Descends On Scenic Big Sur
BIG SUR (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
A ferocious wildfire descended Thursday on the storied and scenic town of Big Sur along California's Central Coast, destroying some cabins and vacation homes that were nestled against miles of burning forest land.
The stubborn Big Sur blaze was just one of hundreds raging around the state, including two new fires burning in Southern California's Santa Barbara and San Bernardino counties.
Officials also reported California's first firefighter death this year — a volunteer who collapsed on the fire line in Mendocino County.
Monterey County: Basin Complex FireAbout 900 residents were forced to flee Big Sur ahead of the Basin Complex Fire, leaving the tourist region mostly deserted and abandoned, as piles of charred rubble smoldered along a closed coastal Highway 1.
At least 17 homes had destroyed by the 64,305-acre fire prior to Thursday, but fire officials could not immediately provide numbers on the newly-burned property.
Crews along the state highway fought back flames from some homes and historic landmarks, including the upscale Ventana Inn which was surrounded by crackling, burning brush late Thursday afternoon.
About 60 firefighters were hunkered down at the Ventana, trying to save the 243-acre historic compound. The rustic inn had been sprayed with foamy fire retardant and was covered in ash as flames blazed about 500 yards away from the inn's restaurant.
"This is a big, big deal," said Scott Myhre, a battalion chief with the Salinas Fire Dept. "This resort is very well known."
While many Big Sur residents followed mandatory evacuation orders issued this week, some chose to defy the orders -- staying behind to try to save their homes and businesses.
Public safety officials said they could not force property owners to leave, but those who refused to go must sign waivers naming their next of kin and dentist in case they perish in the fire and have to be identified through dental records.
"This is America. We can't go in and put handcuffs on people and drag them out," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Tina Rose said. "People have rights and can protect their property."
Kirk Gafill, general manager of the popular Nepenthe Restaurant, said he and five employees were trying to protect the cliff-side restaurant his grandparents built in 1949. Wearing dust masks, the crew scrambled to stamp out the dinner plate-sized embers dropping from the sky, he said.
"We know fire officials don't have the manpower to secure our properties," Gafill said. "There are a lot of people in this community not following evacuation orders. Based on what we saw during Katrina and other disasters, we know we can only rely on ourselves and our neighbors."
Greg Ambrosio, who lives next to Nepenthe, signed a waiver to stay in his house. But his plans to stay were disrupted when he was awoken by a neighbor in the middle of Wednesday night who warned of the approaching inferno.
"Then there's a knock on the door, and we go outside and the fire had just expanded. It was Armageddon," he said. "Just yellow smoke and ash mixed with fire. It was just raining down."
Ambrosio said he and his wife grabbed their cat and drove to a relative's house nearby.
Dan Priano, general manager of the expansive Post Ranch Inn resort, stayed on the 100-acre property with eight employees trying to protect dozens of structures. He said he called state and local officials, begging for more firefighting resources.
"We're staying to protect our livelihoods," he said. "We haven't seen any resources, no helicopters, nothing. Last night I watched three homes burn."
Authorities issued new mandatory evacuations Thursday morning for residences on and in the area of Palo Colorado Canyon Road, adding to the already effective mandatory evacuations for residents along state Highway 1 between Partington Ridge Road and one mile south of Limekiln State Park.
A total of 31 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway were closed, and about 1,780 homes were threatened on the long strip of coast in the Los Padres National Forest, said John Heil, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman.
From the south, Highway 1 was closed at the town of Lucia, 23 miles south of Big Sur. From the north, the highway was closed at the Point Sur Naval Facility, about seven miles north of Big Sur, according to the California Department of Transportation. Electronic message signs were posted to advise motorists.
Along the Big Sur coast, the air was thick with smoke and ash, and flames could be seen burning in the forested hills along the highway. The wildfire was only about 3 percent contained.
Kurt Mayer, 53, stayed at his Big Sur Deli clearing brush and preparing to cover his business with fire-retardant gel, which he said works best when applied within hours before flames reach a structure.
"I'm sure the tourist season is just toast. Usually the busiest time is July and August, so I'm sure it's just going to be zero," said Mayer, who watched the flames glow overnight, adding "it was a spectacular scene."
The raging blaze near Big Sur was created when two fires burned into one; they were ignited from dry lightning strikes on June 21.
The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of high fire danger in the Big Sur area, issuing a red flag warning because of dry and windy conditions. The fire behavior was "extreme," officials said, as the blaze had grown by more than 10,000 acres in the past two days.
"The fire is just a big raging animal right now," said Darby Marshall, a spokesman for the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.
The American Red Cross opened a shelter for Big Sur evacuees at The Carmel Middle School, at 4380 Carmel Valley Road.
A couple hundred evacuees packed a public meeting Wednesday night at the school, where officials braced them for a long fire season. They were told the Basin Complex Fire wasn't expected to be fully surrounded until the end of July.
John Friel, 62, who had been living with his kitten in his car for the past three days after being forced to leave behind his mobile home, was disappointed by the news.
"I've had six strokes this year and a heart attack. I'm feeling pretty scattered," said the retired film production worker who moved to Big Sur three years ago. "It was like putting a Rubik's Cube back together before, so this ain't helping. It just notches up the stress level."
Janna Fournier, another Big Sur resident affected by the evacuation order, went to retrieve artwork and rescue her pet tarantula before roads closed.
"I feel sad for the wilderness and the people who lost their homes," Fournier said. "We chose to live in a wilderness among all this beauty, so I know there's that chance you always take."
Helicopters hauling large containers of water droned loudly overhead as the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, R. David Paulison, visited the area.
"If people evacuate like they're told to, we shouldn't lose any lives," Paulison said in an interview. "My only concern is that people don't take it seriously enough."
Construction worker Billy Rose helped clear brush around local Big Sur businesses to protect the community he grew up in.
"Big Sur people are used to stress - rock slides, water spouts, 40-foot waves, you get numb to it," he says, looking weary as he sharpened his chain saw. "You can't tame Big Sur - this place is untamable."
Monterey County: Indians FireSoutheast of Big Sur, and also in the Los Padres National Forest, the separate 81,378-acre Indians Fire that started nearly a month ago was about 95 percent contained Thursday.
However, the expected date of full containment was pushed back until Monday, according to fire officials.
Mandatory evacuations for cabins in the Santa Lucia Tract remained in effect.
Voluntary evacuations on Arroyo Seco Road above the junction with Carmel Valley Road remained in place as well, and a fire evacuation advisory was also in effect for Carmel Valley Road from Arroyo Seco Road to Tassajara Road, Tassajara Road to the forest boundary and Cachagua Road to the Nason Road turnoff, according to fire officials.
About 422 structures were still threatened and two had been destroyed. The blaze has cost $42.2 million to suppress since the flames ignited June 8.
Seventeen injuries had been reported so far, according to fire officials.
Because of both the Basin Complex and Indians fires, the Monterey County Los Padres National Forest was indefinitely closed for all public access, meaning all national forest land, trails, roads and recreation sites are currently off limits. Officials said the closure went into effect early Thursday and may last weeks.
Santa Barbara County Fire
Meanwhile, a fast-growing fire in the southern extension of the Los Padres forest north of Santa Barbara also forced residents to evacuate as strong winds pushed flames toward homes in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County to free up resources to fight the Gap Fire, which threatened about 200 homes.
It was estimated to have burned 2,400 acres - equivalent of nearly 4 square miles - since it broke out Tuesday evening. Containment was estimated at just 5 percent.
Authorities said the area hadn't burned since 1955 and some of the chaparral stood 20 feet high. So far, no injuries were reported and no structures had burned.
Glen Annie and La Patera canyons were under mandatory evacuation orders and about 45 people had left.
"There's a lot of ash falling. It looks like snow and it's all over the place," said Nicole Davidson, 29, manager of a Michaels craft store in Goleta. "You can hear helicopters heading to the fire with water scoops."
Salvador Ramirez, a construction worker from Goleta, also watched as the flames burned closer to homes.
"The fire is really low on the hillside and there's spot fires everywhere," Ramirez said.
Fire officials said the fire was spotting, moving at a moderate rate with short, rapid runs.
Seesawing winds made it hard on firefighters. An onshore breeze in the morning pushed the fire back up ridges toward firelines at the top, said county Fire Department Capt. Eli Iskow.
But "sundowner" winds were expected to kick up in late afternoons through the weekend and gusts as high as 40 mph could push the fire toward populated areas, he said.
"That'll challenge the southern side of the fire again," he said. "It's definitely expanded in width; it's taking quite a jump to the east along the mountain ridge ... above populated areas."
"You have shifting winds every day," he said.
Smoke was visible throughout much of the South Coast on Thursday.
"As I look out the window we see huge gaps of black in the city," said C.J. Ward, a reporter with KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara.
More equipment and firefighters would be made available if more homes are threatened, Iskow said, but resources were being stretched by the requirements of some 1,000 other fires in the north.
"We are definitely with competition with all the other fires in the state," he said. "Aircraft come off those other fires and fly directly to us.
More than 350 firefighters were battling the blaze with the assistance of Ventura County, Los Angeles, and U.S. Forest Service fire departments.
"Could we use more resources? Absolutely!" Santa Barbara county fire Chief John Scherrei said. "But California is stretched thin."
Iskow said the fire was "human caused" but did not elaborate.
Goleta, near where the fire burned, is a city of about 55,000 people located about 8 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.
San Bernardino Fire
A brush fire broke out Thursday afternoon on a ridge near Yucaipa in San Bernardino County, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.
U.S. Forest Service fire spokeswoman Norma Bailey said the fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. and quickly burned through 100 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest.
The blaze, named the Ridge Fire, was burning several miles away from residences. Firefighters were working on it and more equipment was on the way.
Mendocino County Fires
A volunteer fireman who had been fighting one of the fires in Mendocino County suffered respiratory difficulties and died at Ukiah Valley Medical Center Thursday.
The Anderson Valley Fire Department said 63-year-old Robert Roland died at 4 a.m. His death was believed to be heart related.
Roland was one an all-volunteer squad of 41 firefighters battling a 550-acre blaze in the Hungry Hollow area of Nash Mill Road when he felt ill, experienced respiratory difficulties and collapsed.
Gov. Schwarzenegger released a statement saying he was "deeply saddened" by Roland's death and that flags at the state capitol would fly at half-staff to honor the firefighter.
Other Fires
Farther south in Malibu, a house fire destroyed a vacant beachfront home, damaged two others and shut down traffic in both directions on Pacific Coast Highway for hours Thursday morning.
In the Sequoia National Forest east of Bakersfield, crews struggled to contain a 14,000-acre blaze. Powerful gusts and choking smoke traveling up the steep canyons hampered their progress, and residents of neighboring towns were ordered to evacuate.
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