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.
One tap mobile +16699006833,,98215299490# US (San Jose) +12133388477,,98215299490# US (Los Angeles)
Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 213 338 8477 US (Los Angeles) +1 669 219 2599 US (San Jose) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) Meeting ID: 982 1529 9490 Find your local number: https://montereycty.zoom.us/u/abA6NlztM0
Join by SIP 98215299490@zoomcrc.com
Join by H.323 162.255.37.11 (US West) 162.255.36.11 (US East) ————————————–
The Plaskett Fire is moving closer toward Highway 1 as the afternoon progresses, just south of Plaskett Ridge Road.
Fire behavior is beginning to increase, with activity progressing north and toward South Coast Ridge Road.
Control features like existing roads and trails where strategically placed dozer and hand lines were extended to build control lines are holding at this time.
Air Attack pilots anticipate the fire may reach South Coast Ridge Road within the next 1 to 1.5 hours, based on current fire behavior and conditions.
Ground crews remain focused on developing and implementing structure-defense plans in critical areas where fire progression may threaten structures.
The area is transitioning from cooler, moist conditions and light rain to drier weather.
Thunderstorms may produce erratic winds and gusts up to 40 mph, potentially contributing to increased and unpredictable fire behavior.
Location: Southeast of Loma Vista, Monterey County
Size: 23,343 acres
Percent contained: 21%
Start date: August 8, 2026 [sic]
Personnel Assigned: 1,228
Cause: Under investigation
CURRENT SITUATION:
Fire continues backing down from Manuel Peak into the Big Sur River drainage. Crews are strengthening the western edge by using specialized equipment and hand crews to clear vegetation and using natural geographical features to slow fire spread. Firefighters continue structure defense and strategic firing near Manuel Peak toward the Highway 1 corridor when conditions allow. Heavy equipment is extending dozer line east toward Los Padres Reservoir.
On the northeast and eastern portions of the fire, crews are also strengthening fireline along ridge systems toward Arroyo Seco, Willow Creek, and Black Canyon.
Air resources continue supporting ground operations. Helicopters, airtankers and UAS modules are being used as conditions and availability allow. Two UAS modules are operating day and night for strategic firing support, infrared reconnaissance, and heat detection near containment lines. Two additional UAS modules are being ordered.
A mobile retardant base is supporting helicopter operations closer to the incident, improving aircraft turnaround times. Air Operations continues expanding aviation support.
The Timber Fire is receiving additional personnel today to support the fire suppression efforts.
WEATHER:
Warm and dry conditions continued overnight. Temperatures stayed in the 70s, with relative humidity recoveries of 25–35%.
Cooler, more moist conditions with periods of light rain are transitioning to drier conditions as the day progresses.
CLOSURES AND EVACUATIONS:
Los Padres National Forest closures remain in effect for trails and roads in the fire area.
On the Timber Fire, firefighters are actively conducting firing operations—controlled burning to consume fuels in front of the advancing wildfire, effectively creating a barrier to stop its progress—working from the south toward eastern sections of the perimeter. The fire has backed down through the Big Sur drainage and is approaching the Pfeiffer Incident Command Post area.
Structure triage is complete, with Type 6 engines and equipment staged along the road to maintain point-protection as the fire backs toward nearby structures. Prep work is finished south of the command post along Highway 1 and up the dozer line toward Manuel Peak, where the Vista Grande Hotshots, Fulton resources, and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), or drones are coordinating firing operations from opposite directions. Once at the appropriate elevation, crews will extend the fire across the Valley View Trail system to clean up interior unburned fuels.
Firefighters are also actively addressing a 50-acre slopover—where the main fire crossed over the control line that resulted from yesterday’s activity. While air tankers have successfully checked its spread, the slopover continues to burn through local drainages, and crews will deploy handlines and retardant to fully secure it based on accessibility.
Four crews are currently stationed along the dozer line and below Manuel Peak, with an additional hotshot crew slated to secure the remaining section. With forecast winds threatening line integrity, crews are prioritizing the tie-in of these lines and expect full completion tonight or tomorrow depending on weather and operational progress. As these tactical burns wrap up, resources will continue moving down the dozer line toward southern perimeter operations.
TIMBER FIRE TOWN HALL
Please join California Incident Management Team 3, Cachauga Fire, and other cooperating fire agencies for a community meeting to receive the latest updates regarding the Timber Fire. Community Members will have an opportunity to hear directly from officials and ask questions.
Details:
Saturday, August 29 at 4:00 PM
Cachagua Community Park, 37320 Nason Road, Carmel Valley, CA 93924
Haave been ordered and they are all areas between Nacimiento South to the existing order which includes Prewitt, Alms, Pacific Valley Center and all the way East to the FHL border. It is really moving.
Yesterday was a rollercoaster ride — and not entirely in a good way. The fire was below my house:
(Photo by JC Corley)
Several people who went or were already up at the end of Los Burros said my house was gone. I couldn’t believe that, but I probably went into some state of shock. I had a house built with fire resistant Hardie Plank siding, I had a metal roof, I had coated my deck with fire retardant in the stain and with the help of a wonderful young man (who was also a fire fighter) had done a lot of clearance over the years. Ralph had helped me get a 3000 gal water tank up to my place in the back of his pick up truck. Soren got it set up with a hydrant and got it full — dedicated just for fire fighting. Not even connected up to house. I even had the special $50 a pop Vulcan vents on the house for the holes under the rafters. I had put Hardie Plank under the eaves on the side most threatened. . I had done everything I could to prepare for this day. I refused to believe it was gone. So, I started texting and got a hold of the District Ranger who contacted the Division Chief, who confirmed my house was fine. And JC went and took pics this morning.
(Photo by JC)
But last night was a different story. This is Plaskett Ridge last night. My house is off frame on the left.
(Photo by Embree Mayer)
And from Keith Vandervere’s wonderful daily summary on facebook:
Screenshot
BTW my place is not pink. Either Fin was joshing with me, or the chief was joshing with him.
I have evacuated, so please do not worry about my physical well being. My house is a different story. Won’t get there until tomorrow and hopefully we can get air support by then.
This is the latest perimeter. I am the top 120 acres, JC is on the lower right or south 20 acres, and the Lowes own the 40 acres below me on the left.
Thursday (8/27/26) Morning Update: The latest heat detections reveal that the impressive smoke columns visible from the Monterey Peninsula yesterday were primarily the result of strong runs in the Doolan’s Hole drainage behind Mt. Manuel. There were reports that firing operations had begun between Mt. Manuel and Post Summit, but other than one heat detection near this ridge, there isn’t much sign of that. Burn operations to protect the Big Sur Valley are planned and are one of the reasons for the new round of evacuation orders there.
There are also a lot of heat detections in the Big Sur Gorge. It is possible that all or some of this could be the beginning of a deliberate burn.
Further south, it is clear that burn operations have begun on the Coast Ridge working south from Partington. Hopefully the heat detections on the west side of the Coast Ridge are in error (heat detection locations can have a wide margin of error).
In the north, the fire has climbed high on the Ventana Double Cone and crossed into the headwaters of Ventana Mesa Creek (a tributary of the Carmel River), but has made slow progress working its way downhill into the Little Sur and Carmel River watersheds.
In the east, the fire made strong runs yesterday from Redwood Creek and the North Fork of the Big Sur River toward Pine Ridge and the Arroyo Seco watershed. The fire has now reached the edge of the Arroyo Seco watershed a little south of South Ventana Cone. Smoke columns produced by these runs were also visible yesterday from the Monterey Peninsula.
Finally, the fire continued actively burning east up the North and South Forks of the Big Sur River.
8/27/26 – Message From the Chief Regarding the Timber Fire and Plaskett FireAnother message from your Fire Chief regarding the Timber Fire and now Plaskett Fire:
A week ago we were, by almost all accounts, feeling pretty good about where we were with the Timber Fire. We all knew a long road still laid ahead of us. Well that road just became a lot longer and whatever end may have been in sight is now blurred by the smoke of yet another wildfire; this time on the South Coast – the new Plaskett Fire.
When the Timber Fire started we were very fortunate with the weather pattern and fire behavior. We were able to literally work with the fire, helping it navigate around neighborhoods and structures without any losses. Well those favorable weather conditions have since changed and the fire has become much more active as you’ve all seen, nearly tripling in size since my last message and putting up some impressive plumes. The weather we have experienced over the past several days, which has been labeled as critical fire weather, has been more normal for our area, especially in late August.
Earlier this week, CalFire IMT 1 team transitioned command to the current team, California Inter- Agency IMT 3, who took the incident in stride. The new team, who I am working closely with, is dealing with a very dynamic and complex situation, especially with a new start some 35 miles south in an area that hasn’t seen a significant fire in more than 5 decades. I have full confidence in the team’s ability to manage these complex and expanding incidents.
As you have all seen, there is a new road closure going into effect today at 1 pm. This is an important and necessary step to help control the area and allow crews to safely work in the fire zone. PG&E may need to de-energize the lines should they be eminently threatened. This will have significant impacts on all of us in Big Sur and south to the end of the line. Efforts to move through this critical period efficiently is on the team’s mind but the closure is all subject to the fire’s behavior and the operational success which is all yet to be determined. The message here is patience. We will all need to exhibit a lot of patience over the next week or more.
A note on the new Plaskett Fire: when Big Sur Fire arrived at scene yesterday morning, crews immediately began checking in with the residents of Los Burros Road, to make sure they were aware and ready to leave if necessary. The fire was burning deep in a canyon with no vehicle access. Big Sur Fire’s Hand Crew hiked down to the fire some 2 miles in steep rugged terrain, and cut handline directly on the fires edge, for more than 8 hours. 4 other Big Sur Fire apparatus and 10 more firefighters also responded. The Timber Fire command team immediately diverted resources to the Plaskett fire, including aircraft, which is a testament to their commitment to protecting our community. Big Sur Fire’s presence will ramp back up as we work both fires in step with our mutual aid partners. I will remain closely connected with the incident management team and all of you.
Thank you for the outpouring of support with food, drinks and other supplies for the firefighters who are all so grateful. This is going to be an even longer haul than originally thought and we will need your continued support to get through it. Please keep checking our website bigsurfire.org, inciweb, and other apps like Watch Duty or Wildfire Intel for more information. Thank you all for your efforts, patience and trust of Big Sur Fire.
MONTEREY COUNTY – As of 1 pm Thursday, August 27, an eight-mile stretch of Highway 1 will be closed to support Timber Fire emergency response.
As the Timber Fire emergency response remains active, Highway 1 will close from approximately 0.5 miles south of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn at Post Mile 42.6 to near Andrew Molera State Park at Post Mile 50 to facilitate firefighting and evacuation operations.
Electronic message boards will alert travelers in advance of the closure. Avoid any unnecessary travel through the area. Drivers should use US 101 as an alternate route. We want to thank the community and the public for their patience while we continue to support the emergency response of the Timber Fire in Big Sur.
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.
