For donations for fire victims, Community Association of Big Sur. https://CABigSur.org
For donations to Big Sur Fire (who have really been on it everywhere) bigsurfire.org
thebigsurbigshare.com
AS OF 9/4 Highway 1 is closed from mile marker 19 (Kirk Creek Campground ) on the north end to the San Luis Obispo County line on the south end. No estimated time for reopening has been provided..
Links for phone users who can’t see the links to the right without scrolling through two years of posts. I’ll start with just a few, but if you have others you wish to see here, let me know.
Interactive Highway Map with Mile Markers and slide names is to the right, under “Pages” first one *Big Sur Interactive Maps... if the following link doesn’t work. *Big Sur Interactive Slide Maps will answer any questions you may have about where something is in relation to something else.
Firefighters reached a significant milestone on the Plaskett Fire yesterday, increasing containment to 61% and completing a continuous system of handline, dozer line, roads and other containment features around the entire fire.
For the past three days, six Interagency Hotshot Crews have been “coyote spiked” along the rugged eastern edge of the fire. Four crews worked south from the northern end while two worked north from the south, constructing handline directly along the fire’s edge. Coyote spiking allowed these crews to remain close to their work area instead of making lengthy trips back to the main fire camp each day. This reduced driving exposure, gave firefighters more productive time on the fireline and allowed them to begin work earlier during the cooler part of the day.
Yesterday, that hard work paid off. The crews met and tied their handline together, closing one of the remaining gaps around the fire. With that connection complete, there is now handline, dozer line, roads or other containment features around the entire Plaskett Fire. Firefighters will continue working to strengthen and secure those lines before additional areas can be counted as contained.
Along Highway 1, firefighters are also transitioning into suppression repair where active suppression work is no longer needed. Suppression repair is the work done to reduce impacts from firefighting activities. Crews are removing hose and equipment, repairing areas disturbed during suppression operations, improving drainage and taking steps to reduce erosion and protect natural resources.
Reaching 61% containment and completing containment features around the entire fire are important milestones, but work remains. Firefighters will continue securing the perimeter, identifying and extinguishing remaining heat near the fire’s edge, and completing suppression repair as conditions safely allow.
Weather & Air Quality:
Extremely low relative humidity occurred across much of the fire Monday night into Tuesday with some humidity readings under 10%. Varying cloud cover moved across the Plaskett Fire on Tuesday. Afternoon temperatures still ranged from mid 80s to around 100 with humidity between 10-25%. Winds were light and variable with clouds helping limit the strength of upslope winds. Temperatures will be well above normal Wednesday and Thursday. A heat advisory is in effect for the area until 10PM Thursday. Afternoon humidity will be 10-30% through at least Friday with poor recovery overnight. Terrain driven winds will continue to be the dominant wind with speeds 5-10 mph gusting to around 15 mph.
Highway 1 is now open up through Gorda at the Caltrans maintenance facility. The closure begins there through south of the Kirk Creek Campground, with no estimated time for reopening.
Evacuation Shelter:
If you are in need of shelter due to fire-related evacuation, call Red Cross at: 805-678-3073
*Everyone in areas of active fires should “Know Your Zone.” Go to Genasys Protect to identify the zone you reside in.
Containment on the Plaskett Fire has increased to 47%, a ten‑percent gain since yesterday. Favorable conditions allowed crews to continue using a helitorch over steep terrain to safely remove light fuels ahead of the hot and dry weather expected later this week. Firefighters made progress strengthening control and backup lines, and as interior smoke and flames become more active, crews are increasing patrol and mop‑up to ensure containment lines remain secure.
Four Interagency Hotshot crews will remain in spike camps near the eastern side of the fire to ensure easier access to their work areas over the next two days. These crews are continuing to build toward each other from Los Burros Creek and the southeastern portion of the fire, working to connect the containment line. Firefighters are starting suppression repair on the western side, removing hose and restoring roads. The incident remains under full suppression, with firefighter and public safety guiding all operations.
Weather & Air Quality:
**HEAT AVDISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10AM PDT WEDNESDAY THROUGH 10PM PDT THURSDAY**
Warm and dry conditions will continue through Wednesday, with very little overnight humidity recovery. Some increased cloud cover is expected Tuesday into Wednesday, which may slightly limit daytime temperatures, but humidity will remain low. The region is expected to stay dry into the weekend, with above‑normal temperatures, low afternoon humidity, and minimal marine influence. Terrain‑driven winds will dominate the area throughout the week.
As predicted, the Timber Fire began to show an increase in smoke production today as hotter, drier air help lingering heat sources come to life. Fire activity picked up in several areas of the fire – north near Big Sur, south in the Pick Creek drainage and east toward Bear Basin and South Ventana Cone – but there was no significant fire growth. Aircraft were used to douse hot spots and help moderate fire behavior where needed.
With incredibly steep and rugged terrain throughout the fire area, crews are still working to find safe access into several areas to attack the fire directly.
In the northeast corner of the fire, crews continue to bolster direct line along the South Fork of Little Sur River while evaluating direct attack options where the fire crossed containment lines north of Manuel Peak. Along the northern and eastern containment lines, firefighters are evaluating and improving completed line from Los Padres Reservoir to Chews Ridge and down to Arroyo Seco.
Weather & Air Quality:
As the warmer, drier forecast continues, a Heat Advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service from Wednesday at 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. Thursday. This will cause heat sources on the Timber Fire to rekindle and increase smoke production with the potential for moderate fire activity after several days of quieter fire behavior.
While lighter winds are keeping smoke lower and closer to the fire area. This translates to reduced smoke impacts for communities farther from the fire, but worse air quality for firefighters and those living near the fire area. Expect good to moderate air conditions for Carmel Valley, Fort Hunter Liggett, and Paso Robles. For more air quality resources or updates, visitFire.AirNow.gov
Road Closures:
Road closures on Highway 1 in the Big Sur area have been reduced. Drivers are encouraged to drive cautiously as traffic is increased because of fire activity and the potential for rocks and debris to fall to the roadway as a result of post fire effects on the landscape. To support Plaskett Fire emergency response efforts, Highway 1 remains closed between Pacific Valley at Post Mile 16 and Monterey/San Luis Obispo County line at Post Mile 0.0.
Evacuations:
Residents are urged to stay apprised of their zones as the Timber Fire remains active. For the latest evacuation information, visit Ready Monterey County:www.readymontereycounty.org/emergency
The Los Padres National Forest, in collaboration with California Interagency Incident Management Team 7, will host a virtual community meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 regarding the Plaskett Fire. Members from CIIMT 7, Los Padres National Forest, Fort Hunter Liggett Fire Department, and additional cooperating agencies will be on hand to provide updated fire information.
To view this live event, scan the QR code in the attached event flyer. The meeting will also be broadcast live on the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page here.
Current Situation: Yesterday, crews continued to take advantage of favorable weather conditions to build and strengthen control lines, conduct strategic firing operations, and secure the fire perimeter. The Plaskett Fire is now31% contained. Crews were able to strengthen both indirect and direct control lines, supported by rotary and fixed-wing aircraft delivering retardant drops. Helicopters assisted firefighters on the ground by cooling and extinguishing hotspots. A helitorch was used to burn out a section of steep terrain, reinforcing and securing the fire line. Firefighters and aircraft are addressing unburned areas within the perimeter that could become active and threaten containment as warmer and drier conditions develop later this week. Steep terrain, heavy fuels, and limited access continue to challenge suppression efforts, and firefighters remain focused on protecting communities, critical infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources along the Big Sur coastline.
Today, firefighters will continue securing the fire perimeter across the incident. On the north, firing operations to remove fuel from unburned areas within the perimeter will resume after overnight monitoring and patrol. On the east, crews will continue constructing handline, while engines and aircraft strengthen control features. To the southeast, firefighters will conduct direct suppression and reinforce secondary and tertiary line. Crews on the western edge will continue patrolling for hotspots while hand crews on the northwest side will reinforce line and improve containment. Crews are working with Caltrans along Highway 1 to identify and reduce rockfall, debris, and other fire-related hazards to improve emergency access and roadway safety. The incident remains under a full suppression strategy, with firefighter and public safety the highest priority.
Weather & Air Quality:
After scattered morning clouds and patches of smoke in the morning, skies will turn sunny with temperatures slightly below normal today. A weak thermal through will move toward the coast tomorrow and Tuesday, resulting in light easterly winds. This will lead to a brief period of temperatures above normal with humidity around 20% in some areas. Low pressure aloft off the California coast may increase cloud cover and humidity for the middle of the week, although uncertainty remains very high.
The fire remains in a holding pattern with minimal growth overnight as a result of weeks of aggressive firefighting, and the cool and humid weather patterns of the past few days. Today will begin a warming and drying trend as temperatures rise and humidity lowers, with fire activity and smoke production expected to increase. The cooler weather gave crews a window of opportunity to attack the fire directly with handcrews, aircraft, and heavy machinery, and firefighters will continue to build off of the work that has been done to increase containment and work to extinguish remaining pockets of heat.
On the northwest corner of the fire, firefighters continue to engage any heat directly and focus on mopping up the slopover north of Manuel Peak, where the fire had jumped the original containment line. Aircraft remain engaged in working to keep the fire in its footprint.
On the east side of the fire, from the Ventana Double Cone area to the Black Cone area, aircraft are being utilized to extinguish remaining fire and heat found. This area of the fire is seeing minimal heat because of the sparsely vegetated rocky terrain.
On the southwest side of the fire in the Pick Creek area, rappel crews will be inserted to establish a helispot in order to allow firefighters direct access in the steep rugged terrain where heat is still being identified.
Today will be slightly warmer and drier as the beginning of a more prolonged and significant warming and drying trend develops across the Central Coast. Skies should turn mostly sunny with highs in the 80s around Arroyo Seco, 70s in Big Sur and upper 60s for elevations above 3000 feet. Relative humidity values will lower to around 30-40% this afternoon, which is as low as they have been since the start of the month. Tonight will see light winds out of the Northeast. This will keep RH values moderate overnight into Monday morning with recovery only 40-50% forecast.
Road closures on Highway 1 in the Big Sur area have been reduced. To support Plaskett Fire emergency response efforts, Highway 1 remains closed between Kirk Creek Campground at Mile 19 and Monterey/San Luis Obispo County line at Post Mile 0.0, per Los Padres National Forest on Facebook. (The original post had the closure incorrect. It was changed to what I post here back when the highway to the north was opened.)
Current Situation: Yesterday, firefighters leveraged favorable weather conditions and moderate fire behavior to make continued progress, increasing containment to 23%. Crews constructed and strengthened control lines, secured areas where firing operations occurred, and used direct attack where terrain and conditions allowed. Strategic firing operations were used to strengthen control lines and create defensible space around threatened structures and critical values. Several Type 1 helicopters supported crews on the ground by using a Mobile Retardant Base to slow the fire’s progression, which allowed firefighters to engage the fire directly. Helicopters also conducted targeted water drops on hotspots to help extinguish active fire and reinforce ground efforts. Type 3 helicopters conducted reconnaissance flights to gather intelligence and support strategic decision-making. Overnight, an unmanned aerial system (UAS) supported firefighters with aerial ignition operations on the southern side of the fire, helping to strengthen control lines and improve operational effectiveness.
Today, crews will build on yesterday’s progress along the southwest flank by tying handline into existing containment features and beginning mop-up in the area. On the northern edge, firefighters will conduct firing operations to address an island of unburnt fuel. To the northeast, control lines are still holding fire that had spread beyond the previously established line earlier in the week. Along the eastern side, crews will continue preparing strategic contingency lines with masticators while fire managers evaluate options to construct dozer lines and conduct direct attack with retardant on the southeast flank. Steep terrain, limited access, and heavy fuels remain challenging, and firefighters are working to strengthen and secure containment features ahead of an expected warming and drying trend next week. The incident continues to receive additional resources and is now supported by two forward operating bases located near active fire operations.
Timber Fire Information: For Information on the Timber Fire, please visit:
Scattered morning clouds, mainly near the coast, will clear by midday leaving sunny skies across the region. Downvalley winds at 3-5 mph will turn upslope in the afternoon, with gusts reaching 7-10 mph. On the ridges, wind will come from the south at 7-10 mph, with gusts up to 15-18 mph. Temperatures will gradually increase over the weekend but remain below normal into Monday before returning to near normal next week. Increasing moisture late next week will contribute to increased cloud cover and elevated humidity.
Highway 1 remains closed north of the San Luis Obispo County line and south of Little Sur River, with no estimated time for reopening. The northern closure of Highway 1 supporting Timber Fire operations has been lifted from Post Mile 56 (south of Little Sur River) to Post Mile 45 (just south of the Big Sur Post Office).
Evacuation Shelters
Cambria: Cambria Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main Street, Cambria, CA 93428
*Everyone in areas of active fires should “Know Your Zone.” Go to Genasys Protect to identify the zone you reside in.
