CAUSED OF FIRE RELEASED

CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
San Benito-Monterey Unit
CONTACT: (650) 477-0379 RELEASE
DATE: January 25, 2022
CAL FIRE Investigators Determine Cause of Colorado Fire
Monterey, CA – Fire investigators have determined the cause of the Colorado Fire in Palo Colorado Canyon (Monterey County) to be hot embers from a pile burning operation. High winds blew the embers onto nearby vegetation, which ignited the fire

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Today there is no residents convoy scheduled, so far. Only opening is this afternoon for essential services. As soon as I am notified of the possibility, I will post.

From Mike Doig this AM: “The sun won’t reach the bottom of Rocky Creek for a while. The fire camp is gone but vehicles are still patrolling the roads. It’s clear enough this morning to really see the burn scar.”

Monterey County Emergency Operations Center Colorado Fire Information Wrap Up January 24, 2022
Fire Status/Resources

CAL FIRE has created an incident page for the Colorado Fire:
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/1/21/colorado-fire/

The Monterey County Office of Emergency Services has created a 2022 Wildfire page which includes Colorado Fire, evacuation maps and fire notifications: https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/administrative-office/office-of- emergency-services/2022-wildfires

Essential Services Access Tuesday, January 25th
Essential services will be allowed to access Big Sur between 12:00pm and 5:00pm Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
Law enforcement escorts will begin at the Traffic Control Points (TCP’s) at the north and south end of the closures on Highway 1.
Essential services including propane, fuel, water, sewer/septic, mail, waste/recycling and Big Sur Health Center staff with valid credentials.

Evacuations:
Evacuation orders issued on Friday, January 21 at 9:30 p.m. remain in place.
This includes all areas West of 3800 Palo Colorado Rd. to Highway 1 and South to Bixby Creek.
75 homes received evacuation notices. While there are an estimated 400-500 people in the area
under evacuation, it is estimated fewer than 100 left the area.

Road Closures:
Highway 1 is closed in both directions from Andrew Molera Park/Coast Road to Granite Canyon
Bridge. Stay up to date on road closures using Caltrans Quickmap http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
A reminder that Nacimiento-Fergusson Road near Big Sur remains closed to the public due to
damage from winter storms.

Health
Monterey County Environmental Health has provided a dumpster in the Big Sur area for spoiled food due to power outage and lack of waste service. The dumpster has been placed at the North Bound shoulder of Highway 1 and Pfeiffer Ridge Road.
The Monterey County Health Department issued a Boil Water Notice for those in the evacuation zones. This applies people whose water system has been impacted by fire due to damaged infrastructure or loss of pressure from power outage. Cal Am customers will not be affected by this notice.

An interactive map of Colorado Fire evacuation zones can be found at:
https://montereyco.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=905a9458324b4868804 d96b5593eb978

Emergency Shelter:
The emergency shelter set up for evacuees closed today, Monday, January 24, at 7:00 am. Evacuees needing assistance should contact 2-1-1 for information and any additional assistance.
The SPCA of Monterey County continues to provide pet sheltering for evacuees and is currently housing 6 cats and 4 dogs.
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