Incident Information:
Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: Unknown
Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory
Size: 19,287
Containment: 10%
Injuries: 0
Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur

Resources:
Hand Crews: 9
Engines: 42
Dozers: 6
Helicopters: 4
Fixed wing: 1
Water Tenders: 6
Total Personnel: 579

Current Situation:

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect and will be in place until Monday evening, August 24, at 5:00 p.m. Thunderstorms with little to no precipitation are possible, particularly this evening and into the early morning, and will be accompanied by erratic and gusty outflow winds.

The fire is primarily backing, and the fire footprint has not significantly changed. Crews have made considerable progress creating dozer line to the North towards Partington Ridge. Crews began direct attack along the fire’s Southeast edge and continued point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia. Today, firefighters secured more of the western perimeter of the fire along Hwy 1. Falling rocks and the potential of spot fires across the road remain as concerns on Hwy 1.

Aerial resources took advantage of clear skies to assist ground resources with retardant and bucket drops. However, smoke impacted air operations. As air quality and visibility improve, aviation assets will support crews on the ground.

Today, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department entered into unified command with California Incident Management Team 2 and Big Sur Fire. The incident management team completed the move into a new incident command post at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available.

Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/

Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email address. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header).

Weather: A Red Flag Warning is in effect over the fire area for thunderstorms, dry lightning and gusty outflow winds.

Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.

Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke. Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.

A!ert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website: https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login.

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance

Safety Message: This will be a long duration event. Residents in the affected area are encouraged to continue to prepare for the possibility of fire in their area in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.

Actualizado: 2020-08-23 10:14 PDT

Incéndios

Fuego River:

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/

Fuego Carmel:

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

Fuego Dolan: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018/

Humo

La probabilidad de tormentas eléctricas puede aumentar el comportamiento del fuego y producir más humo, pero se espera un mayor movimiento y dispersión del humo con el aumento de la velocidad del viento. Las áreas al sur de los incendios podrían ver una mejor calidad del aire debido a los vientos del sur que se pronostican. Se predice que las condiciones de humo en toda la zona de pronóstico cambiarán de Insalubre para Grupos Sensitivos (IGS) a Insalubre.

Más

La calidad del aire puede cambiar repentinamente. Todo el mundo debería intentar limitar las actividades al aire libre bajo estas condiciones insalubres de calidad del aire.

Smoke Outlook for 8/23 - 8/24

Central Coast Fires

Issued at: 2020-08-23 09:11 PDT

Special Statement

For detailed information on local air quality advisories, please see the links below.

A Red Flag Warning for Gusty Outflow Winds and Dry Lightning in effect from 5 am Sunday through 5 pm Monday.

Fire Information

River:https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire

Carmel:https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmelfire

Dolan:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

Smoke

Chance of incoming thunderstorms may increase fire behavior and produce more smoke, but expect greater movement and

dispersion of smoke with increase wind speeds. Areas south of the fires may see some improved air quality due predicted

south winds. Smoke conditions throughout the forecast zone are predicted to see Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) to

unhealthy.

Other

Air quality may change unexpectedly. Everyone should try and limit their outdoor activity in these unhealthy air quality

conditions.

Incident Information:

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: Unknown

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory

Size: 19,287

Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur

Containment: 10%

Injuries: 0

Total Personnel: 488

Resources:

Hand Crews: 8

Engines: 31

Dozers: 6

Fixed wing: 1

Water Tenders: 6

A Red Flag Warning is in effect today till 5:00 p.m. due to the combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures that will contribute to extreme fire behavior. Thunderstorms with little to no precipitation are possible and will be accompanied by erratic and gusty outflow winds between 30 and 65 mph across the fire area.

The fire remained active overnight, primarily with backing fire. Fire activity moderated in the early morning hours as humidity increased. Crews continued to focus on point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia to the South and Partington Ridge and Anderson Peak communications infrastructure to the North. The community of South Coast was secured.

An infrared equipped aircraft flew a mapping flight over the fire yesterday afternoon. This data was used to revise the perimeter and was the primary reason for the increase in acreage.

Today, operations will continue to focus on point protection as well as scouting for locations to build direct and indirect fire line using both heavy equipment and hand crews. Crews will also be checking the North Coast Ridge Road and working out any hotspots near the road. As the fire continues to burn along the eastern side of Highway 1, engines and crews continue will patrol and extinguish spot fires that are occurring across the highway. Winds are predicted to shift from predominantly north northwest to south southeast.

This change in wind direction will shift the area of highest fire activity from the south end to the north end of the Dolan Fire.

Smoke will continue to impact air operations around the fire, limiting aircraft availability and effectiveness. When air quality and visibility improve, aviation assets including helicopters, will support crews on the ground.

The incident management team will be moving into a new incident command post today at Big Sur Pfeiffer State Park. The move is expected to take most of the day so there will not be a Facebook Live meeting.

Information for the next Facebook Live meeting will be posted on Inciweb and shared through our daily update.

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available.

Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/

Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email address. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header).

Weather: A Red Flag Warning is in effect over the fire area for thunderstorms, dry lightning and gusty outflow winds.

Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.

The closure of Highway 1 has changed. The highway is now closed near mile marker 38/Troy Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.

Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke. Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.

Alert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website. https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance

Safety Message: This will be a long duration event. Residents in the affected area are encouraged to continue to prepare for the possibility of fire in their area in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.

Incident Information:

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020

Cause: Unknown

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory

Size: 14,000

Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur

Containment: 10%

Injuries: 0

Resources:

Hand Crews: 6

Engines: 25

Dozers: 3

Helicopters: 4

Fixed wing: 1

Water Tenders: 3

Total Personnel: 400

Current Situation:

Today a 30-minute Facebook Live community meeting was held on the Los Padres National Forest Facebook Page. Incident Commanders Minton and Harris provided an operational update and answered questions concerning evacuations and road closures. The video is available for viewing at: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest. Tomorrow the incident management team will be moving into a new incident command post tomorrow at Big Sur Pfeiffer State Park. The move is expected to take most of the day so there will not be a Facebook Live meeting. Look for the announcement for the next meeting on Inciweb and through our daily Update.

Throughout the day crews continued to focus on point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia to the South and Partington Ridge and Anderson Peak communications infrastructure to the North. As the threat diminishes and fire passes, these priorities will shift. As more resources arrive the plan will expand to include additional perimeter control operations.

Crews tied in the perimeter on the north end of the fire off North Coast Ridge Road, where the fire had burned over the road. Firefighters are building fire line directly on the fire’s edge to prevent the possibility of further spread. Containment along the west side of the fire (10% so far) is expected to increase over the next few days as firefighters assure that the line is secure.

Fire activity in the areas Hermitage and Lucia continued to be slow and steady backing fires, allowing crews to continue point protection and prepare to engage as necessary. Fire activity also continued to be visible from Hwy 1, with firefighters and equipment preparing to engage along the highway.

Tomorrow, operations will continue to focus on point protection as well as scouting for locations to build direct and indirect fire line using both heavy equipment and hand crews. Smoke will continue to impact air operations around the fire, limiting aircraft availability and effectiveness. In areas above the layer of smoke, or when the smoke lifts, fire behavior will become more active. A Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 5:00 a.m. Sunday until 5:00 p.m. Monday due to the high potential for dry lightning and winds gusting from 40 to 50 mph across the fire area.

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Aircraft that can map a fire using infrared imagery used to determine acreage have not yet flown the fire. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available.

Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/

Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email address. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header.

Weather: Moisture from Tropical Depression Genevieve will bring mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures to the area today.

Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.

The closure of Highway 1 has changed. The highway is now closed near mile marker 38/Troy Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.

Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke. Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.

Alert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website. https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login.

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance.

Safety Message: Area residents are encouraged to prepare for the approach of fire in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.

Incident Information:
Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020
Cause: Unknown
Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory
Size: 14,000
Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur
Containment: 10%
Injuries: 0

Resources:
Hand Crews: 6
Engines: 25
Dozers: 3
Helicopters: 4
Fixed wing: 1
Water Tenders: 3
Total Personnel: 400

Current Situation:

Today at 2:00 p.m. a 30 minute Facebook Live community meeting will be held on facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest. Please email questions in advance to 2020.dolan@firenet.gov.

Overnight point protection continued to be the focus of operations. Point protection refers to the preparation and defense of structures or other values in the fire’s path of spread. The three priorities for point protection are Hermitage, Partington Ridge and Anderson Peak communications infrastructure. As the threat diminishes and fire passes, these priorities will shift. As more resources arrive the operation will expand to include additional perimeter control operations.

Hot Shot crews are working on perimeter control on the north end of the fire off North Coast Ridge Road, where the fire had burned over the road, these firefighters are building fire line directly on the fire’s edge to prevent the possibility of further spread. Containment along the west side of the fire (10% so far) is expected to increase over the next few days as firefighters assure that the line is secure.

The fire remained active in the areas Hermitage and Lucia, along Highway 1, overnight. The fire spread slowly as fire backed down slope.

Today, operations will continue to focus on point protection and scouting for locations to build direct and indirect fire line. Fire spread will be mainly to the south, laterally along the coast ridge. Smoke from other fires in the area is shading the Dolan Fire. Though the smoke makes it difficult to locate the exact perimeter of the fire, it has the benefit of decreasing the direct sunlight and dampening fire behavior. In areas above the layer of smoke, or when the smoke lifts, fire behavior will become more active. As Tropical Depression Genevieve moves into the area, unstable air will likely lift the smoke layer and result in more active fire behavior.

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Aircraft that can map a fire using infrared imagery used to determine acreage have not yet flown the fire. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available.

Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/

Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email address. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header). Additionally, a live online community meeting will be held on the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page today at 2:00 p.m.

Weather: Moisture from Tropical Depression Genevieve will bring mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures to the area today. A Fire Weather Watch has been issued from Sunday at 11:00 a.m. through Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. due to a potential for Thunderstorms.

Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.

The closure of Highway 1 has changed. The highway is now closed near mile marker 38/Troy Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.

Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke.  Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.
 

Alert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website. https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance.

Safety Message: Area residents are encouraged to prepare for the approach of fire in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.

Smoke Outlook for 8/22 - 8/23

Central Coast Fires

Issued at: 2020-08-22 08:26 PDT

Special Statement

For detailed information on local air quality advisories, please see the links below.

A Fire Weather Watch for Dry Lightning is in effect from midday Sunday until midday Monday.

Fire Information

River Fire: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/riverfire/

Carmel Fire: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

Dolan Fire: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018/

Smoke

Smoke conditions throughout the forecast zone will see Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) to Hazardous air quality throughout the day. Numerous regional fires are impacting the forecast zone.

Other

Air quality may change unexpectedly. Everyone should try and limit their outdoor activity in these unhealthy air quality conditions.

Incident Information:

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020
Cause: Unknown
Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory
Size: 8,500
Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur
Containment: 0
Injuries: 0

Resources:

Hand Crews: 6
Engines: 25
Dozers: 3
Helicopters: 4
Fixed wing: 1
Water Tenders: 3
Total Personnel: 400

Current Situation: The Dolan Fire was reported August 18, 2020, just after 8:00 p.m. Active Fire behavior was observed with long range spotting, uphill runs, flanking and backing fire. California Interagency Incident Management Team 2, under the command of Mike Minton entered into unified command with Big Sur Fire this morning at 6:00 a.m.

Today priorities focused on the preparation and protection of structures on the north and south ends of the fire. On the north end, in the Partington Ridge area, an Evacuation Warning was upgraded to an Evacuation Order. Firefighters are prepping for structure protection and building fire line around an area that burnt across the North Coast Ridge Road yesterday. This fire is burning in the Sobranes Fire scar. Confidence that this fire will be caught is high.

The fire was active today in the area of Hermitage. Bulldozers were used to build a protection line to the north of threatened structures and firefighters prepped around the structures in the area. The dozer line is expected to be challenged by the fire again tomorrow. The primary fire spread today was to the south.

Firefighters will also be working in the area of Anderson Peak. Communications infrastructure for multiple agencies is threatened. Crews will be removing vegetation and cutting lines around this site.

A layer of smoke remained over most of the fire area again today making it difficult to ascertain the exact location of the fire’s perimeter. One big concern is San Vicente Creek on the south end. This information is important in planning the strategy for control of the south end. The current control objectives are to keep the fire south of Partington Ridge, north of Nacimiento Fergusson Road, east of Highway 1, and west of Coast Ridge Road.

The fire is threatening the communities of Partington Ridge, Big Sur and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west.

Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header). Additionally, a live online community meeting will be held on the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.

Weather: Tomorrow clouds from former Hurricane Genevieve are expected to move over the fire area in the afternoon. Saturday night through Sunday morning there is a slight chance of dry thunderstorms. A Fire Weather Watch has been issued from Sunday at 11:00 a.m. through Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. due to a potential for Thunderstorms.

Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.

The Partington Ridge community Evacuation Warning was upgraded to an Evacuation Order this morning. Though the order was in effect immediately, residents will have until 9:00 a.m. on Saturday to move belongings from their property.

The closure of Highway 1 has changed. The highway is now closed near mile marker 38/Troy Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.

Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke.  Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.

Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/

Alert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website. https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance

Safety Message: Area residents are encouraged to prepare for the approach of fire in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.

8-21-2020/1130 hrs Mandatory evacuation order is in place for the following area:

HWY 1 @ Anderson Canyon

(Post mile 35)

North to:

HWY 1 @ Torre Canyon

(Post mile 39)

West of hwy 1 to Pacific Ocean

East Hwy 1 to North Coast Ridge Rd.

To include Partington Ridge Road.

-BREAK-

Mandatory evacuation order in place for the following area:

HWY 1 @ Nacimiento Ferguson Rd.

(Post mile 19)

North to:

HWY 1 @ Anderson Canyon

(Post mile 35)

West of hwy 1 to Pacific Ocean

East of Hwy 1 to North Coast Ridge Rd. And Cone Peak Road

-BREAK-

(The below writing encompasses the whole area that is under Mandatory Evacuation Area)

Mandatory evacuation order in place for the following area:

HWY 1 @ Nacimiento Ferguson Rd.

(Post mile 19)

North to:

HWY 1 @ Torre Canyon

(Post mile 39)

West of hwy 1 to Pacific Ocean

East Hwy 1 to North Coast Ridge Rd./Cone Peak Rd.

To include Partington Ridge Road.

Incident Information:
Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020
Cause: Unknown
Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory
Size: 8,500
Location: 6 miles N. of Lime Kiln State Park. 10 miles S. of Big Sur
Containment: 0
Injuries: 0

Resources:
Hand Crews: 6
Engines: 20
Dozers: 2
Helicopters: 4
Fixed wing: 1
Water Tenders: 2
Total Personnel: 335
 
Nearby Fires: 
Carmel Fire
River Fire

Current Situation: The Dolan Fire was reported August 18, 2020, just after 8:00 p.m. Active Fire behavior was observed with long range spotting, uphill runs, flanking and backing fire. The fire was initially managed by local resources but due to the extensive history of large fires in the area, statewide resource issues and a high degree of complexity, a decision was quickly made to request a Type 1 incident management team. California Interagency Incident Management Team 2, under the command of Mike Minton entered into unified command with Big Sur Fire this morning at 6:00 a.m.

The fire is burning on private, state and federal lands, including the Ventana Wilderness. Fire behavior is expected to be much the same as it was yesterday. An inversion shaded the fire and limited fire growth but fire behavior was still active on peaks above the inversion. Due to the inversion, the helicopters assigned to the incident were unable to fly on the Dolan Fire yesterday. They were able to provide some assistance to the Carmel Fire.

Firefighters will take advantage of these weather conditions today as they continue their physical assessment of the fire area. Firefighters on scene will be using infrared imagery and physically scouting the area to locate the fire’s edge and barriers that could potentially be used as fire control line. The current control objectives are to keep the fire south of Partington Ridge, north of Nacimiento Fergusson Road, east of Highway 1, and west of Coast Ridge Road.

The fire is threatening the communities of Partington Ridge, Big Sur and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. 

Weather: A low pressure trough will hold the inversion over the area today. Fire behavior will be similar to Thursday. With the arrival of Hurricane Genevieve in the Eastern Pacific on Saturday humidity will increase and air will become unstable potentially leading to more active fire behavior.

Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.

Highway 1 is closed between Pfeiffer State Park on the north and Lucia on the south.

Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke.  Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.

Alert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website. https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance.

Safety Message: Area residents are encouraged to prepare for the approach of fire in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.