Final photos for today after windshift late this afternoon.

2:30 pm

Around 2 pm. It has exploded. I no longer have time to edit at all. Straight from camera to iPad. It is happening so fast.

Taken about 1 pm from my home:

youtu.be/XbpWPuj3nsI

Thank you signs are the least that we can do to show our support for all the Firefighters, Law Enforcement, Support Personnel, and Volunteers who helped with the Carmel and River fires. Here are a few signs that are posted up around Carmel Valley Village.  And, thank you for all that you do!

Please check back throughout the day for update, or refresh your browser window if you are keeping it open.

DOLAN PUBLIC FIRE INFORMATION SOURCES:
Public Information Phone: (831) 272-0222

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

This is the link for the county created interactive evacuations map for all three fires. You can enter an address and find out the status. Nice job MoCo! Thank you. https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/administrative-office/office-of-emergency-services/response/2020-fires

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August 27, 2020 Evening
Public Information Phone: (831)272-0222	Los Padres National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf
Media Information Phone: (831)272-0221	Facebook: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest
Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov	Twitter: twitter.com/LosPadresNF
Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018	Big Sur FD: https://bigsurfire.org/

Incident Information: 

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 
Cause: Unknown 

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory 
Size: 21,861 
Location: Hwy 1 (MM 32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur 
Containment: 20% 
Injuries: 0  
Total Personnel: 902 

Resources:

Hand Crews: 14 

Engines: 74 
Dozers: 10   

Helicopters: 8 
Water Tenders: 25  

Current Situation: 

Fire activity picked up today in the afternoon as the marine layer lifted. The fire burned actively, even against beneficial wind and weather, often reacting more to vegetation and topography, than to headwinds. Crews worked to stay ahead of the fire and are prioritizing the north and south sides of the fire to protect threatened communities. Crews continued to work on the McWay ridge on the northside to try to hold the fireline with additional air support. The fire grew along the North Coast Ridge Road, but firefighters are optimistic that with the help of additional crews in the area tomorrow, they can hold the fireline west of the wilderness area. The fire continues to smolder along the east side of Highway 1.  

There was significant fire activity in the south today. The fire burned through retardant lines and began to move toward Cone Peak. Crews will be scouting for other options to secure the southward movement of the fire tomorrow. Additionally, fire began burning into a drainage just above Hermitage. The area had been previously prepped for the potential incursion of fire. Firefighters will remain in the area and continue that work tomorrow.  

The fire continues to smolder along and threaten Highway 1. Firefighters are monitoring the smolder to prevent impact to telecommunication lines and to keep the fire on the east side of the road. The fire threatens to cross to the west side of Highway 1 either by rolling materials over the road or by burning down one of several drainages/underpasses. Hazards from rolling material persists along the west side of the fire and poses a risk to Highway 1 including vehicles, structures, and apparatuses along the highway. 

The fire threatens the communities of Hermitage and Lucia in the south, and Partington Ridge on the north. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks, and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness, coastal watershed, and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor. 

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Currently there are 83 large uncontained fires nationwide. Fires have burned over 2 million acres with over 1.1 million acres burned in California alone. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available. 

Dolan Fire 

California Interagency Incident Management Team 2 

Public Information Phone: 831-272-0222 

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov 

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

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Here is the final piece of the puzzle for today. Fire has crested a ridge north of Stone Ridge and is about to crest Twin Peak. Here is the heat detection satellite map by John Chesnut:

And here it is in real life. Excuse the poor quality photo, I was having trouble gettin my new tripod set up. I’ll have it ahead of time tomorrow after sunset. But this gives you an idea.

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August 27, 2020 Morning
Public Information Phone: (831) 272-0222	Los Padres National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf
Media Information Phone: (831) 272-0221	Facebook: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest
Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov	Twitter: twitter.com/LosPadresNF
Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018	Big Sur FD: https://bigsurfire.org/

Incident Information: 

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: Unknown 

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory 

Resources: 

Hand Crews: 13 

Engines: 70 

Dozers: 10 

Size: 21,861 

Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur 

Helicopters: 7 

Water Tenders: 14 

Containment: 15% 

Injuries: 0 

Total Personnel: 951 

Current Situation: 

Last night, crews worked to stay ahead of the fire and are optimistic that the control lines will be successful for protection of the communities. Crews actively monitored the fire progression, particularly north of McWay Ridge, and took advantage of night-time conditions to strategically reinforce control lines and monitor yesterday’s slop-over on the north side of McWay ridge. Crews also worked to reinforce lines on North Coast Ridge as this ridge is critical to holding the fire west of the wilderness region. Crews monitored the creeping and smoldering fire along Highway 1 to prevent impact to telecommunication lines. Firefighters also patrolled Highway 1 as rolling material impacted the highway, potentially presenting hazards to vehicles and apparatuses, as well as potential vectors for spot fires across the road. 

Today, fire behavior is expected to be similar to yesterday with increased activity once the marine layer inversion lifts and moisture in the air decreases. The fire will burn actively, primarily responding to topography, even against the wind. Firefighters will be closely monitoring the weather conditions and executing the appropriate plan of action should conditions change. In the south end near Hermitage, crews will continue to build and reinforce indirect containment lines and seek opportunities to pioneer direct lines when safe to do so. More resources have arrived on the fire to assist in both night and day operations.  

The threat of fire crossing Hwy 1 still exists through the several drainages/underpasses that hold a high concentration of available fuels, creating a passageway for fire to cross under the hwy onto the west side. Along with this are many telecommunication lines that could be susceptible to fire and potentially impact the hwy. Firefighters will patrol and evaluate these underpasses for a strategic plan to keep the fire from passing through.  

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage and Lucia on the south, and Partington Ridge on the north. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks, and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness, coastal watershed, and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor. 

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Currently there are 96 large uncontained fires nationwide with nearly 28,000 firefighters. To date, fires have burned 3.7 million acres with 1.84 million acres burned in California alone. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available. 

Dolan Fire 

California Interagency Incident Management Team 2 

Public Information Phone: 831-272-0222 

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov 

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

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Before I get to John Chesnut’s maps, here is how they translate from my roost. With the maps, one can see why it looks this way. Dolan is making his way behind Cone Peak

August 26, 2020 Evening
Public Information Phone: (831)272-0222	Los Padres National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf
	Facebook: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest
Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov	Twitter: twitter.com/LosPadresNF
Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018	Big Sur FD: https://bigsurfire.org/

Incident Information: 

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: Unknown 

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory 

Resources: 

Hand Crews: 13 

Engines: 70 

Dozers: 10 

Size: 21,861 

Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur 

Helicopters: 7 

Water Tenders: 14 

Containment: 15% 

Injuries: 0 

Total Personnel: 951 

Current Situation: 

Today, fire activity picked up in the north and east, promoted by weather patterns. The deep marine layer lifted around noon and fuels rapidly dried out. The fire pushed significantly into McWay Ridge, slopping over the ridge approximately 150-200 acres. Crews are working to stay ahead of the fire and are optimistic that the contingency lines will be successful for protection of the community. On the eastern perimeter, the fire has not moved significantly, although the potential for fire growth remains. While crews are monitoring the eastern perimeter, they do not have personnel assigned to the eastern flank. The focus remains on maximizing resources to provide protection to communities on the north and south. The rumored spot fire in Lost Valley was proved to be inaccurate today with a flight over the area. Aerial resources, in conjunction with ground crews, worked on spot fires on the southeast side. On the southern perimeter, crews made good progress in securing direct and indirect lines to keep the fire out of Hermitage, Lucia and Morning Glory.  Crews monitored the creeping and smoldering fire along Highway 1 to prevent impact to telecommunication lines. Firefighters also patrolled Highway 1 as rolling material impacted the highway, potentially presenting hazards to vehicles and apparatuses, as well as potential vectors for spot fires across the road. 

More resources have arrived on the fire to assist in both night and day operations. Tonight, crews will be actively monitoring the fire progression, particularly north of McWay Ridge.  Crews will be taking advantage of night-time conditions to strategically reinforce contingency lines, focusing work on North Coast Ridge Road. This ridge is critical to holding the fire west of the wilderness region. Night operations will be monitoring fire progression and conditions, gathering critical information that will assist the fire operations tomorrow morning. 

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage and Lucia on the south, and Partington Ridge on the north. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks, and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness, coastal watershed, and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor. 

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Currently there are 96 large uncontained fires nationwide with nearly 28,000 firefighters. To date, fires have burned 3.7 million acres with 1.84 million acres burned in California alone. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available. 

Dolan Fire 

California Interagency Incident Management Team 2 

Public Information Phone: 831-272-0222 

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov 

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

Here are a couple John Chesnut maps that zoom in on a couple trouble spots.

Dolan from Carmel Valley by Lucas Ryan

Castro Slope by akaBoras around 5:30

The following photos are from Castro Slope by akaBoras, all taken between 3:30 and 5:00 pm In the last one, one can see the retardant line.

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Rep. Panetta has put together two guides for constituents relating to the wildfires in CA20 (English and Spanish):

1. Fire Recovery Guide (attached):  The Administration has approved a major disaster declaration for the Central California fires in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. The declaration provides several programs to assist individuals, households and businesses, along with assistance for public agencies and selected non-profits that have participated in response efforts. He created this guide to help folks navigate these programs.
2. Resources to track current fires and evacuation resources: https://panetta.house.gov/wildfire-response-resources-central-coast

Please feel free to share and, as always, we are here to offer any additional assistance individuals may have when navigating these federal programs.

Thank you,

Katie Moon | Congressional Aide 
Office of Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20)
142 W. Alisal St. Suite E-116 | Salinas, CA 93901
Office: 831.424.2229
Panetta.house.gov | Facebook  | Twitter

The link to the Recovery Guide (English): https://panetta.house.gov/sites/panetta.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/August2020WildfireRecoveryGuide.pdf

Recovery Guide Spanish: https://panetta.house.gov/sites/panetta.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/RecoveryDocFinalSPANISH.pdf

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DAILY BRIEFING TODAY AT 2 PM ON THE USFS FACEBOOK PAGE. Presenting will be Matt Harris, Chief, Big Sur Fire; Pat Russell, Operations Section Chief; Martha Karstens, Big Sur CERT.

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August 26, 2020 8:00 AM
Public Information Phone: (831)272-0222	Los Padres National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf
Media Information Phone: (831)272-0221	Facebook: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest
Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov	Twitter: twitter.com/LosPadresNF
Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018	Big Sur FD: https://bigsurfire.org/

Incident Information: 

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: Unknown 

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory 

Resources: 

Hand Crews: 11 

Engines: 66 

Dozers: 7 

Size: 21,844 

Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur 

Helicopters: 7 

Water Tenders: 10 

Containment: 15% 

Injuries: 0 

Total Personnel: 880 

Current Situation: 

Fire behavior was moderate throughout the night. Crews performed structure defense in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and continued to protect private property and clear roadways around Partington and along Hwy. 1. Crews continued to secure direct and indirect lines to keep the fire out of Hermitage, Lucia and Morning Glory. Progress is slow due to rough terrain and lack of available crews.  

Today, crews will continue to focus on the northern and southern edges of the fire by constructing and enhancing control lines, with the priority being lines along McWay ridge and above Lucia northeast to Twin Peaks. These control lines will provide additional protection and management options for firefighters and reduce impacts to Highway 1. Rolling rocks and spot fires in the field, as well as driving and traffic conditions on the roadways continue to be safety concerns for crews.  

Fire behavior today is expected to be similar to previous days, with fire activity mainly on the northern, eastern and southern edges of the fire. Along the western perimeter fire activity is expected to be low while the marine layer is present, with smoldering and some low intensity backing fire below the coastal redwood stands.   

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness, coastal watershed, habitat for threatened as well as endangered species, including the California condor. 

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Currently there are 96 large uncontained fires nationwide with nearly 28,000 firefighters. To date, fires have burned 3.7 million acres with 1.84 million acres burned in California alone. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available. 

Dolan Fire 

California Interagency Incident Management Team 2 

Public Information Phone: 831-272-0222 

Media Information Phone: 831-272-0221 

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov 

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

Please check back throughout the day for update, or refresh your browser window if you are keeping it open.

DOLAN PUBLIC FIRE INFORMATION SOURCES:
Public Information Phone: (831) 272-0222

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

For Carmel/River Fire, see Here 

This is the link for the county created interactive evacuations map for all three fires. You can enter an address and find out the status. Nice job MoCo! Thank you. https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/administrative-office/office-of-emergency-services/response/2020-fires

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Today, while there is blue sky, it is completely socked in toward the north —the area of the fire — by smoke. I can’t see a thing. Here are some John Chesnut maps to start us off, until the USFS comes up with its morning briefing. Also have the detailed IR flight map from last night in pdf form below.

Carmel Fire (Day 9) and River Fire (Day 11) post. Unless things change, today’s post will be the final daily update for these fires. River Fire is at 48% containment and Carmel is at 45% so it seems we have turned the corner on these two fires. Please refer to the Office of Emergency Services response page here for updates. A big THANK YOU to all the Firefighters and Volunteers! 

CalFire Incident page Carmel & River  CalFire Facebook Updates here. Sheriff Facebook Updates here. Monterey County Office of Emergency Services Facebook here

Carmel Fire: 6,695 acres burned, 40% contained, 801 personnel assigned, 50 residence destroyed, 23 other structures destroyed, damage assessment is ~54% complete.

River Fire: 48,424 acres burned, 48% contained, 1,183 personnel assigned, 13 residences destroyed, 17 other structures destroyed, damage assessment is ~90% complete.

Dolan Fire: 20,397 acres burned, 15% containment.

Morning Briefing 7AM:

 

“This is Soberanes land. Many of us spent a lifetime here.” “We need every one of you, every one of you, to finish this incident, go to the next, and get home to your families safe and sound, with stories and not scars.” “Collectively, you bring order to the chaos that was occurring here just a week ago … Thank you for all you’re doing.” -Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter

“We are in a marathon” “… the battle is not over until you’re home with your families”. – Unified Incident Commander George 

7:15 AM: Carmel and River Fires Google Earth Image with VIIRS and MODIS Satellite and CDF Infrared Outline (from 08/25/20). The Latest satellite heat detection spots are from Monday at 11:25 PM. Note: the red circles inside the fire outlines are not new satellite detections. They are isolated heat sources as detected by an infrared camera mounted to an airplane. 

Carmel_River_Fire_082620

River infrared (8/25/20): 20200826_River_IR_map_11x17_naip

Carmel infrared (8/25/20): 20200826_Carmel_IR_map_11x17_naip

From the Incident Action Plan:

PIO Map:

Ops Map North: ops_IR_north_arch_e_land_0825_2250_River_BEU004024_0826

Ops Map South: ops_IR_South_arch_e_land_River_BEU004024_opt

Evacuation  Notifications here   (note: select the DASHBOARD tab from a desktop computer for a detailed map with hot spots plus evacuation zones)

Fire Recovery Information can be found here.

1. Carmel Valley Village near Meg’s Chevron and
2. Tassajara Rd and Carmel Valley starting August 25, 2020 from 5:00pm-8:30pm and will open again on Tuesday, August 26, 2020 from at 8:00am – 8:00pm.

Evacuation Map can be found here (Red is Order, Yellow is Warning, Green is Lifted) The map below is from 8:30 AM: 

Carmel Fire Update 7AM:

River Fire Update 7AM:

For other information sources see:

• Office of Emergency Services response page here
• Quick reference of key resources to stay up-to-date here
• National interagency Fire Center Map can be found here
• Current Wind can be found here
• Alert Wildfire Camera here
• Scanner Fire & Sheriff
• Air Traffic here
• Road Closures here
• CalFire’s Ready, Set, Go! Checklist here (see page 9)
• Twitter links: #RiverFire and #CarmelFire

We are getting an IR flight tonight, so should have some much more accurate maps tomorrow, but in the mean time, I asked John Chesnut for an evening one, and he so kindly obliged me with two!

************************************************************************

S. Forest Service
Pacific Southwest Region
Los Padres National Forest 6750 Navigator Way Goleta, CA 93117
http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf

News Release

For Immediate Release

August 25, 2020

Media Contact: Andrew Madsen
(805) 895-0841
andrew.madsen@usda.gov
www.facebook.com/lpnf
Twitter: @LosPadresNF

Area closure order issued for Dolan Fire
GOLETA, Calif.— Los Padres National Forest officials issued a forest order closing the Dolan Fire area on the Monterey Ranger District to the public effective tomorrow, August 26. Forest Service law enforcement officers will strictly enforce the closure order, which carries a penalty of $5,000 and/or six months in jail.

The boundary of the Dolan Fire Closure Area begins near Timber Top following the North Coast Ridge Road (20S05) east to Cold Spring Camp and the Big Sur Trail. Continuing eastward, the closure boundary follows the South Fork Trail (3E09) to the Marble Peak Trail (4E07) where it intersects with the Arroyo Seco/Indians Road (19S09) and follows the road southeast to the National Forest boundary and then southwest along the boundary to Nacimiento-Fergusson Road (22S01) where it heads west along the northern edge of the road to Highway 1. The closure boundary then heads north along Highway 1 where it intersects the National Forest boundary near Limekiln State Parks and follows the boundary back to the beginning of the Closure Area, as shown on the attached map. (I tried for over 1/2 hour to upload the map, and could not. It is now almost 11 pm, so I am giving up for tonight)

The Dolan Fire started August 18 and has burned 20,213 acres and is 15 percent contained. Incident Management Team 2 is in Unified Command with the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Closure of the fire area is intended to help ensure that members of the public are not injured within the fire perimeter, to keep the area clear for fire equipment traffic, and to allow for the scorched landscape to begin the rehabilitation and regrowth process. This order will expire when the Dolan Fire is fully contained and controlled.

For additional information about the Dolan Fire, please visit the InciWeb incident page at  https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018/ or call (831) 272-0222. Email inquiries can be sent to 2020.dolan@firenet.gov.  

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August 25, 2020:     

·Dolan Fire Afternoon Update: There is a second spot in the south east corner of the fire, south of the big one we’ve been reporting on. This one is west of the Coast Ridge which is desirable because the ridge is where we can ultimately stop it. On the south we are going direct with dozers and hand line then they will take the line over to Cone Peak. On the north they are prepping McVay Ridge with dozers and hand line. They are also working out the slopover on the north east.

Current Situation:

Fire behavior overnight was moderated due to the marine layer. Night operations focused on monitoring fire conditions and gathering information about the fire that will assist today’s fire operations.

Today crews will continue to focus on the Northern and Southern edges of the fire by constructing and enhancing contingency lines. These control lines will provide additional protection and management options for firefighters in the event that fire progresses towards the structures. Additional dozer lines are being scouted and constructed to provide point protection for communities. Crews will also be monitoring bridges that may serve as pathways for fire to cross into unburned areas. The hazards of rolling rocks and spot fires in the field, as well as driving and traffic conditions on the road continue to be safety concerns for crews.

Low intensity backing fires are expected again today in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and crews will be in the park providing structure protection. Firefighters will monitor the Eastern perimeter near the North Coast Ridge Road at the transition of the North Coast Ridge trail where the fire was active yesterday. Fire behavior and growth in that area is driven largely by fuels with no recent fire history.

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Currently there are 93 large uncontained fires nationwide with nearly 28,000 firefighters. To date, fires have burned 2.1 million acres with 1.84 million acres burned in California alone. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available.

Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/

Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email address. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header).

Weather: Tomorrow’s weather is expected to be typical for late summer days with a marine layer and inversion lifting to clear skies.

Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.

Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke. Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.

A!ert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website: https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login.

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance

Safety Message: This will be a long duration event. Residents in the affected area are encouraged to continue to prepare for the possibility of fire in their area in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.

Incident Information

Basic Information

Current as of	8/25/2020, 7:52:02 PM
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Unknown
Date of Origin	Tuesday August 18th, 2020 approx. 08:15 PM
Location	Highway 1(MM 32.20) North of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles South of Big Sur
Incident Commander	CAIIMT 2 Mike Minton ICT1 Big Sur FD Matt Harris UIC Monterey Co. SO Joseph Moses UIC
Incident Description	Wildfire
Coordinates	36.123 latitude, -121.602 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	880
Size	20,397 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	15%
Estimated Containment Date	Wednesday September 16th, 2020 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Chaparral (6 feet)Brush (2 feet)Timber (Grass and Understory)
Significant Events	Active Flanking Backing Isolated Torching

Outlook

Planned Actions

Crews in all divisions continue to construct direct/indirect control lines to prepare for burning out operations on the North and South ends of the fire. Crews will continue to evaluate need for point protection and structure defense.

Projected Incident Activity

Fire is burning on private land, the Los Padres National Forest Ventana wilderness. Fire is taking advantage of slope driven runs and dry fuel, moving up and down canyons, spotting and making runs, fire movement in all directions, ie. south, north, and east. Area tends to burn actively in the evening hours driven by mid slope thermal weather activity. Concern that the smoke inversion will lift and the fire activity will increase.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns

Typical late-August conditions prevailed once again today. In the morning, there was some low clouds and fog along the coastal side of the fire. By late morning, the clouds and fog dissipated, leaving sunny and smoky skies. Afternoon temperatures were in the 70s and 80s with humidity dropping down to the 35-55% range. Ridgetop winds were southeasterly with typical diurnal winds at lower elevations.For tonight and Wednesday, the marine layer influence will continue along the coastal side of the fire with some low clouds and fog. Otherwise, clear and smoky skies are expected. Afternoon temperatures will be a few degrees warmer with an associated decrease in relative humidity. Typical diurnal winds are expected.

Recent Articles

Pronóstico de Humo para 25/08 – 26/08News – 8 hrs. agoCentral Coast Fires Smoke Outlook August 25 & 26News – 12 hrs. agoDolan Fire Morning Update, August 25, 2020News – 13 hrs. agoDolan Fire Evening Update, August 24, 2020News – 24 hrs. ago

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I will be updating this page throughout the day, so click the title to open in a separate window, and refresh this page as you need.Please be patient with USFS, BSF, and Monterey County Sheriff as they release information about the status of the fire and the evacuation orders. (And with me as I gather it and post it). Thank you.““““““

For Carmel/River Fire, see Here    

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Changes are being made to some of the fire evacuation shelters and centers due to re- entry for the Carmel and River fires. There is still help available and it is safe to go to evacuation locations, COVID-19 procedures are in place.

Here is the updated list of county evacuation shelters and centers.

Evacuation Shelters are open 24 hours for sleeping, meals, referrals for non-congregate housing assistance.

• Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, 625 Division Street, King City
• Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Rd, Carmel

Evacuation Centers are open 8 am to 8 pm and provide, water, snacks, housing referrals, RV camping vouchers.

• Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey
• King City Library, 402 Broadway, King City

http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/2020Fires

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DOLAN PUBLIC FIRE INFORMATION SOURCES:
Public Information Phone: (831) 272-0222

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

This is the link for the county created interactive evacuations map for all three fires. You can enter an address and find out the status. Nice job MoCo! Thank you. https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/administrative-office/office-of-emergency-services/response/2020-fires

************************************************************************John Chesnut’s daily map will go here when received. John says about this map:

“The high resolution VIIRS satellite has not updated overnight. … I am attaching the lower resolution MODIS (1km) return, with some trepidation (as it is coarsely inaccurate).”

John Chesnut put together another map showing the boundary from the first IR flight on 8/23 here. It is very close to the hand-drawn boundary John created.

************************************************************************USFS daily morning briefing will go here when it is posted.

August 25, 2020 8:00 AM
Public Information Phone: (831)272-0222	Los Padres National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf
Media Information Phone: (831)272-0221	Facebook: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest
Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov	Twitter: twitter.com/LosPadresNF
Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018	Big Sur FD: https://bigsurfire.org/

Incident Information: 

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: Unknown 

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory 

Resources: 

Hand Crews: 11 

Engines: 46 

Dozers: 7 

Size: 20,213 

Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur 

Helicopters: 4 

Fixed wing: 1 

Water Tenders: 7 

Containment: 15% 

Injuries: 0 

 Total Personnel: 662 

Current Situation: 

Fire behavior overnight was moderated due to the marine layer. Night operations focused on monitoring fire conditions and gathering information about the fire that will assist today’s fire operations.  

Today crews will continue to focus on the Northern and Southern edges of the fire by constructing and enhancing contingency lines. These control lines will provide additional protection and management options for firefighters in the event that fire progresses towards the structures. Additional dozer lines are being scouted and constructed to provide point protection for communities. Crews will also be monitoring bridges that may serve as pathways for fire to cross into unburned areas. The hazards of rolling rocks and spot fires in the field, as well as driving and traffic conditions on the road continue to be safety concerns for crews. 

Low intensity backing fires are expected again today in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and crews will be in the park providing structure protection. Firefighters will monitor the Eastern perimeter near the North Coast Ridge Road at the transition of the North Coast Ridge trail where the fire was active yesterday. Fire behavior and growth in that area is driven largely by fuels with no recent fire history.  

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor. 

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Currently there are 93 large uncontained fires nationwide with nearly 28,000 firefighters. To date, fires have burned 2.1 million acres with 1.84 million acres burned in California alone. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available. 

Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/ River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/
Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email address. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header).
Weather: Tomorrow’s weather is expected to be typical for late summer days with a marine layer and inversion lifting to clear skies.
Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.
Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke. Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.
A!ert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website: https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login.
Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance
Safety Message: This will be a long duration event. Residents in the affected area are encouraged to continue to prepare for the possibility of fire in their area in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn

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Photos taken 8/25 at 7:30 am from my roost. Smoke coming up through the fog

For other information sources see:

• Office of Emergency Services response page here
• Quick reference of key resources to stay up-to-date here
• National interagency Fire Center Map can be found here
• Current Wind can be found here
• Alert Wildfire Camera here
• Scanner Fire & Sheriff
• Air Traffic here
• Road Closures here
• CalFire’s Ready, Set, Go! Checklist here (see page 9)

Carmel Fire (Day 8) and River Fire (Day 10) post. Click the title to open in a separate window, and refresh this page throughout the day. Please be patient with CalFire and Monterey County Sheriff as they release information about the status of the fires and the evacuation orders. Thank you.

CalFire Incident page Carmel & River  CalFire Facebook Updates here. Sheriff Facebook Updates here. Monterey County Office of Emergency Services Facebook here

Cal Fire evening updates:

Evacuation Orders Lifted – Zones 19a, C-Zone 5, R-Zones 7 & 13a

CARMEL FIRE 

The evacuation ORDER and WARNING covering Zone 19A on Esquiline Rd as it travels south, it becomes Southbank Rd which becomes Hitchcock Rd is being LIFTED.The evacuation ORDER and evacuation WARNING covering C-Zone 5 all areas south/west including Tassajara Road from Miller Canyon to East Carmel Valley Road to include Chew’s Ridge, Kincannon Road, Lambert Flat, Parrot Ranch Road and tributaries. Tassajara Road west to Miller Canyon, including Miller Canyon is being LIFTED at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 

River Fire 

The evacuation ORDER and WARNING covering R-Zone 7 West of River Road from Limekiln Road to Gonzales River Road AND R-Zone 13 A all areas and roads west of River Road to Palo Escrito Peak and extending south from Gonzales River Road to Puma Road is being LIFTED at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020. The EVACUATION ORDER for R-Zone 13 to include all areas and roads east of Carmel Valley Roadto Palo Escrito Peak from south of Tassajara Road to Finch Creeknot to include Carmel Valley Road REMAINS IN PLACE. 

Know Your Zone: https://montereyco.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=905a9458324b4868804d96b5593eb978

Returning Home 

Residents can access comfort kits, Personal Protective Equipment, and bottled water at a Commodity Point of Distribution (C-POD). C-PODS have been set up at 1) Carmel Valley Village and 2) Tassajara Rd and Carmel Valley starting August 25, 2020 from 5:00pm-8:30pm and will open again on Tuesday, August 26, 2020 from at 8:00am – 8:00pm. 

Some homes may still be without water and water systems may have lost pressure or was disconnected from electrical power for a period of time, it is advisable to make sure it is not contaminated with coliform bacteria. To see if your well and piping system maintained positive pressure during the fire, turn on a faucet in the household to see if water comes out. You should not hear any air being released from the faucet. The flow of water should be steady and uninterrupted. If you do hear air escaping from the faucet with water intermittently spurting out when it is turned on, that is an indication that the well and household plumbing had a loss of pressure and should be checked to make sure it is bacteriologically safe. More at https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/health/environmental-health/general/recovering-after-a-wildfire 

Evacuation Orders and Warnings Lifted for R-Zones 1a and 2a (Berry Dr and Mesa) 3PM:

The Evacuation Order for Zone 1a and 2a have been lifted as of 3:00 PM on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020. These areas include Pine Canyon Rd. west of Mesa and Berry Dr. west of Enos Dr. 

Evacuation  Notifications here   (note: select the DASHBOARD tab from a desktop computer for a detailed map with hot spots plus evacuation zones)

Evacuation Map can be found here (Red is Order, Yellow is Warning, Green is Lifted) The map below is from 5:30 PM:

 

River Fire 48,424 acres 33% contained, Carmel Fire 6,695 acres 30% contained, Dolan Fire 20,091 acres 10% contained.

1:15 PM: Carmel and River Fires Google Earth Image with VIIRS and MODIS Satellite and CDF Infrared Outline (white line from 08/20/20). The Latest satellite heat detection spots are from Monday at 1:54 PM: Carmel_River_Fire2_082520

7:00 AM: Carmel and River Fires Google Earth Image with VIIRS and MODIS Satellite and CDF Infrared Outline (white line from 08/20/20). The Latest satellite heat detection spots are from Monday at 2:48 PM: Carmel_River_Fire_082520

Infrared Imaging underway at 1:20 PM:

 

Current View as of 1:15 PM:

View as of 7AM:

Carmel Fire:

River Fire:

Monday’s 7PM Briefing:

Incident Action Plan can be found here:

Operations Map North (click to open – large PDF file):

Operations Map South (click to open – large PDF file):

For other information sources see:

• Office of Emergency Services response page here
• Quick reference of key resources to stay up-to-date here
• National interagency Fire Center Map can be found here
• Current Wind can be found here
• Alert Wildfire Camera here
• Scanner Fire & Sheriff
• Air Traffic here
• Road Closures here
• CalFire’s Ready, Set, Go! Checklist here (see page 9)
• Twitter links: #RiverFire and #CarmelFire

Connie lives within walking distance of McWay Falls, within the closure area, and captured what might be the best photo of the Dolan Fire, but certainly the best photo taken today. Thanks Connie for letting me share it.

Hermitage at 2 pm this afternoon;

New photos taken at 1:30 pm — show more fire cumulus clouds.

These are 45 minutes later. It has been making a run to the east for over two hours this afternoon.

12:30 pm — Not a cloud in the sky except for these shots over the Dolan Fire. The photos below were taken around 12:30 pm from my house at 3200’ on top of Plaskett Ridge. I sent them to the Dolan PIO who confirmed there was a slop over on the North Coast Road and it is now 200-300 acres and established. It is 1 mile east of Hot Springs Canyon. No structures are threatened. I will add more throughout the day if warranted. I have put these through HDR to bring out the contrasts which makes them easier to see.