Message from BSF Fire Chief Matt Harris

Message from your Fire Chief regarding the Timber and Plaskett Fires:

This has been an incredible few weeks for all of us.  I am so impressed with all of you and our community.  You have been inquisitive, patient and resilient and you will need to be for quite a while longer.  The Timber Fire had minimal growth over the last few days aided by an early season cold front that even holds the possibility of precipitation.  The primary containment lines are still being dialed in and it will take many days if not weeks for the fire to reach them.  Crews are going direct where they can to extinguish and mop-up the fire.  Some areas are just too steep and rugged to safely access, as you know, and it is a patience game for either season ending rain or the fire to reach the line.

The Plaskett fire on the other hand has been dynamic and has seen several significant days of growth.  The acreage in fact has now surpassed the Timber Fire.  Due to the size and complexity of both incidents, a second incident management team has been mobilized and assumed command of the Plaskett Fire this morning (CA-CIIMT7).  Our Big Sur Fire resources (2 engines and a water tender) are currently assigned to the Plaskett Fire sharing their local knowledge and helping lead our mutual aid partners into the enclaves of Plaskett Ridge Road, Los Burros Road, Gorda Mountain Road and others to protect structures and extinguish the fire.

As both incidents progress, the incident management teams and I are in constant communication with all agencies involved such as Monterey County Sherriff, CHP, CalTrans, Dept. of Emergency Management, and many more.  We are continually evaluating the situation and looking for opportunities to return life to normal, including reopening the highway.  Right now, things are on track for reopening the northern closure in the Timber Fire area based on the timeline established last week.  There is no timeline for the southern closure.  More information will be provided very soon if/when anything changes.

There is another community meeting tomorrow at 6:00pm at the Mid-Coast Firehouse on Palo Colorado Rd. for those outside the closure area.  Please keep checking our website bigsurfire.org, inciweb, and other apps like Watch Duty or Wildfire Intel for more information.  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 and increased support to get through it.

Respectfully,

Matt Harris

Fire Chief