Keith Vandevere Analysis, Day 20 of Timber Fire

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.