Brushfire grows to more than 100 acres in Big Sur amid high winds
A brushfire in Big Sur grew to more than 100 acres late Friday night, driven by strong winds as firefighters from around California's Central Coast were called to respond.
The fire was reported around 7 p.m. and evacuations were underway on the east side of Highway 1 from Palo Colorado Road to Rocky Creek Bridge, said Mike Meddles, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection duty chief.
Strong winds in the area were pushing the fire west, Meddles said. As of around 10 p.m., firefighters from 13 agencies had responded.
@PGE4Me webcam at CTRY CLUB HTS in Carmel Valley pointed toward the fire ongoing along the Big Sur Coast near Rocky Creek and Palo Colorado Canyon. Please avoid Highway 1 south of Carmel. Humidity is in the teens with gusts around 35 mph! #CAwx #CAfire pic.twitter.com/EM8dEy2HKg
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) January 22, 2022
"We're trying to get more [firefighters] in," he said.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office issued a mandatory evacuation order for all areas west of 3800 Palo Colorado Road to Highway 1, and south to Bixby Creek.
The California Department of Transportation closed Highway 1 in both directions from near the entrance to Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur to Rio Road in Carmel.
The National Weather Service's San Francisco office canceled a wind advisory for lower elevations earlier Friday, but warned that strong winds were likely to impact the region's higher elevations.
GOES 17 satellite imagery picking up the Colorado Fire located near Big Sur, CA. Fire started in Palo Colorado canyon. The blue outline is the 2016 Soberanes Fire. Dry northeast winds pushing the fire in a southwest direction towards Highway 1. #ColoradoFire pic.twitter.com/HPEHfe6X1D
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) January 22, 2022
Humidity levels were in the teens and winds gusted around 35 mph, forecasters said.
Authorities have named the blaze the Colorado fire, the weather service said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.