UPDATE: Big Sur Fire Just 20 Percent Contained

Updated 11 a.m. Wednesday

By Bay City News Service — Nearly 500 firefighters from a variety of agencies have been battling the Big Sur fire from the ground and air as it burns chaparral bushes and heavy timber in the Los Padres National Forest, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

The fire started late Sunday night near Pfeiffer Ridge Road and state Highway 1, according to Cal Fire, causing evacautions and burning near the Fernwood Resort and the Big Sur River Inn.

The blaze, known as the Pfeiffer Fire, has damaged an unknown number of homes and blackened about 550 acres, according to U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Lynn Olson.

 "We know some structures have been destroyed but we don't have hard numbers," Olson said.

Two firefighters have suffered minor injuries, one a knee injury and another related to heat, but both were treated and released, she said.
As of Tuesday afternoon Highway 1 was clear to traffic but delays were expected because of the number of emergency vehicles in the area, according to fire officials. 
For more news or info. about how to help visit the Big Sur Fire Relief page on Facebook.

Posted Tuesday:
 A fire that's sweeping through coastal forests in Monterey County around Big Sur has destroyed 15 homes and triggered evacuations, according to news reports.

One of the homes destroyed was that of a volunteer fire chief.

The area that's burning hasn't had a fire since 1907, meaning there's an abundance of fuel to burn. The fire was only 5 percent contained as of Tuesday afternoon.

Smoke from the blaze may be contributing to extremely smoky skies in many parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, which is under its 11th consecutive Spare the Air Day due to poor air quality.

And a fire at a recycling plant in Redwood City Tuesday morning also clouded the air as far south as San Jose, residents told Patch.

Posted earlier:

Crews are battling a vegetation fire in a national forest in Monterey County that has prompted evacuations and damaged two structures in the Big Sur area, a Cal Fire spokesman said.

The fire had burned more than 300 acres as of 10 a.m. Monday, mostly inside the Los Padres National Forest but also on some pockets of private land, Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Pangburn said. "It's going through neighborhoods in Big Sur," Pangburn said.

About 180 firefighters, the bulk of them from Cal Fire, are fighting the blaze, which started just before midnight Sunday near Pfeiffer Ridge Road and state Highway 1, Pangburn said.

Cal Fire has confirmed that at least two structures have been damaged, according to Pangburn.

The fire is still not under control, he said. Firefighters have evacuated some homes, officials said.

There are no reports of injuries, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Pangburn.

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