The Soberanes Fire has been 10 percent contained and continuously increased in size through the week, with the latest estimate being 27,326 acres as of this morning, according to Cal Fire.
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Firefighters scrambled yesterday to suppress a deadly wildfire near California’s famed Big Sur coast that has burned more than 40 homes, forced hundreds of residents to flee and closed popular parks at the height of the summer travel season.
More than 3,500 regional firefighters are fighting the hard fire in very remote terrain, using 329 engines, 14 helicopters, 6 air tankers and 60 bulldozers at last count.
The blaze spanning 42 square miles (109 square kilometers) has destroyed at least 34 homes and put at least 2,000 buildings at risk.
44 structures have now been destroyed in the blaze burning north of Big Sur, and another 2,000 remain in the fire’s path.
On Tuesday, the operator of a bulldozer was killed when it rolled over during the fight against the blaze.
Reagan, 35, has a wife and two young children and a GoFundMe account has already raised nearly $24,000 to help his family.
“It’s a heartbreaker. I could cry right now”, Tom Huntington said. I don’t know if our house is still standing or not. The Fresno County man’s sister, Hannah Cunnings, told The Associated Press that her brother was the kind of person who would offer to put snow chains on your vehicle or fix an engine that needed repair.
The other death came last Saturday in Southern California when the burned body of 67-year-old Robert Bresnick was found in a auto after he refused to leave a house, authorities said.
Another man was killed last week in a wildfire still burning on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
Firefighters have made a lot of progress in beating back a huge wildfire that has been raging outside Los Angeles since Friday.
The group of eight hikers had been stranded for days in a forest inside the massive Soberanes Fire when were rescued by fire crews Tuesday, according to authorities.
In the north, four people who hiked out of the fire area earlier this week acknowledged illegally growing marijuana for the last three months, Monterey County sheriff’s Sgt. Kathy Palazzolo said.
It’s illegal to grow marijuana in California except for medicinal purposes, but pot grows are common throughout coastal Monterey County, south of San Francisco.
“The call came in on Sunday and they left Sunday evening – Sunday night”, Calexico Fire Captain Arnold Rivera said. It’s just 10 per cent contained.
The Community Foundation for Monterey County is continuing to accept donations to assist those impacted by the fire.
He lived on the property with a woman, who was too distraught to speak. “All we can do is pray”. “And I’m sure that we’re gonna be okay”, he said.
There was also high potential for “fire runs” up slopes still choked with unburned brush, he said.
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“We wanted to see more of the ocean”, said Phoenix-area tourist Jim Newby, who drove along the highway with his family Tuesday.
