GOLETA, CA, December 8, 2016…Los Padres National Forest officials today reduced the Soberanes Fire closure order to the area that burned during the fire, effectively reopening the southern portion of the Monterey Ranger District to the public. Forest Service law enforcement officers will strictly enforce the closure order, which carries a penalty of $5,000 and/or six months in jail. This order will expire Dec. 4, 2017.

The new Soberanes Fire Closure Area begins at the northwest corner of Section 1, Township 17 South, Range 1 East, Mount Diablo Base and Meridian and continues east following the National Forest boundary to its intersection with Camel Valley Road. The closure then continues south and east along the Forest Boundary to its intersection with private property in Section 31, Township 20 South, Range 5 East, continuing south and east along the Ventana Wilderness Boundary paralleling the western edge of the Arroyo Seco/Indians Road to its intersection with Escondido Campground. The closure then continues west along the Lost Valley Trail to its intersection with the North Coast Trail via the Lost Valley Connector, then north along the North Coast Trail to its intersection with the North Coast Ridge Road. It then continues north and west along the North Coast Ridge Road to its intersection with State Highway 1, then north along State Highway 1 to its intersection with Palo Colorado Road and east back to the starting point, as shown on the attached map.
Closure of the fire area aims to help ensure that members of the public are not injured within the fire perimeter, and allows for the scorched landscape to begin the rehabilitation process.
For more information, visit the Los Padres National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf.
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