Incident Information:

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

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory

Size: 20,213

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

Containment: 15%

Injuries: 0

Total Personnel: 662

Resources:

Hand Crews: 11

Engines: 46

Dozers: 7
Helicopters: 4

Fixed wing: 1

Water Tenders: 7

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:

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020

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

Cause: Unknown

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory

Size: 20,091

Containment: 15%

Injuries: 0

Resources:

Hand Crews: 11

Engines: 46

Dozers: 7

Helicopters: 4

Fixed wing: 1

Water Tenders: 7

Total Personnel: 662

Current Situation:

Fire activity continued to be steady, with low intensity backing fire through the redwoods of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The fire was also active within the existing perimeter, reburning in areas the fire had previously passed through. The fire spotted over on the Eastern perimeter near the North Coast Ridge Road at the transition of the North Coast Ridge trail, with fire behavior and growth driven largely by fuels in an area with no recent fire history. Firefighters are monitoring fire growth in this area.

Crews continued to focus on the Northern and Southern edges of the fire by constructing and enhancing contingency lines. These handlines will provide additional protection and management options for firefighters in the event that fire progresses towards the structures. More dozer line was constructed to provide point protection for communities.

Fire behavior this evening is expected to be similar to previous nights, with activity picking up along the coast ridges during a five-hour window starting around midnight. Night operations will be focused on monitoring fire conditions, gathering critical intel that will assist the fire operations in the morning. 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.

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. 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.

Pronóstico de Humo para 24/08 - 25/08

Actualizado: 2020-08-24 10:24 PDT

Aviso Especial
 

Para obtener información detallada sobre los avisos locales de calidad del aire, consulte los enlaces mas adelante. Hay una

advertencia de Bandera Roja por ráfagas de viento y relámpagos secos en efecto hasta las 5:00 pm de hoy.

Incéndios

Fuego River:

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

Fuego Carmel:

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

Fuego Dolan: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018/

Humo

Nubosidad y temperaturas más frescas durante el día de ayer ayer ayudaron a retrasar la propagación del fuego y reducir la

producción de humo en la zona de pronóstico. Todavía existe una pequeña posibilidad de tormentas eléctricas que pueden

aumentar el comportamiento del fuego y producir más humo, pero se espera un movimiento y dispersión del humo mayor al

aumentar la velocidad del viento. Las áreas al sur de los incendios podrían ver una mejor calidad de aire debido a los

vientos del sur que se pronostican. Se predice que las condiciones de humo en toda la zona de pronóstico serán de

Moderadas a Insalubres para Grupos Sensitivos (IGS) con períodos en Insalubre.

Más La calidad del aire puede cambiar repentinamente. Si comienza a sentir los efectos del humo en su salud, se le

alienta a que tome las medidas de precaución sugeridas en los enlaces adjuntos.

Smoke Outlook for 8/24 - 8/25
Central Coast Fires
Issued at: 2020-08-24 08:03 PDT

Special Statement

For detailed information on local air quality advisories, please see the links below.

Fire Information

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

Carmel:https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmelfire

Dolan:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

Smoke

Cloud cover and cooler weather yesterday helped slow fire spread and reduce smoke production in the forecast zone.

There is still a slight chance of incoming thunderstorms that may increase fire behavior and produce more smoke, but

expect greater movement and dispersion of smoke with

increase wind speeds. Areas south of the fires may see some improved air quality due predicted south winds. Smoke

conditions throughout the forecast zone are predicted to see Moderate to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) with periods

of Unhealthy.

Other

Air quality may change unexpectedly. If you begin to notice health effects from smoke, you are encouraged to follow the

"actions to protect yourself" listed below.
 See .pdf attachment for full article.

Incident Information:

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

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

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory

Size: 20,091

Containment: 10%

Total Personnel: 579

Injuries: 0

Resources:

Hand Crews: 9

Engines: 42

Dozers: 6

Helicopters: 4

Fixed wing: 1

Water Tenders: 6

Current Situation:

The Red Flag Warning has been cancelled for today.

The fire actively burned throughout the night. Fire activity moderated in the early morning hours as humidity increased. An Infrared flight was flown last night which contributed to the stated increase in acres, with an estimated growth of 500 acres.

Overnight crews were able to complete indirect handline around the communities of Lucia, Morning Glory, and Partington. These handlines will provide additional protection and management options for firefighters in the event that fire progresses towards the structures.

Today, crews will continue to focus on point protection on the North, West, and South ends of the fire. Crews will also be constructing indirect lines to support future containment operations. The hazard of rolling rocks and spot fires continue to be safety concerns for crews in all divisions, especially along Hwy 1.

Aerial resources will look to take advantage of clear skies when possible to assist ground resources with retardant and bucket drops. As air quality and visibility improve, aviation assets will support crews on the ground.

Yesterday, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department entered into unified command with California Incident Management Team 2 and Big Sur Fire. The incident management team completed the move into a new incident command post at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

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. 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: The Red Flag Warning has been cancelled for today. The weather is expected to be partly to mostly cloudy, with winds of 5-12 miles per hour with gusts of 20 miles per hour on the ridgetops.

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:
Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: Unknown
Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory
Size: 19,287
Containment: 10%
Injuries: 0
Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur

Resources:
Hand Crews: 9
Engines: 42
Dozers: 6
Helicopters: 4
Fixed wing: 1
Water Tenders: 6
Total Personnel: 579

Current Situation:

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect and will be in place until Monday evening, August 24, at 5:00 p.m. Thunderstorms with little to no precipitation are possible, particularly this evening and into the early morning, and will be accompanied by erratic and gusty outflow winds.

The fire is primarily backing, and the fire footprint has not significantly changed. Crews have made considerable progress creating dozer line to the North towards Partington Ridge. Crews began direct attack along the fire’s Southeast edge and continued point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia. Today, firefighters secured more of the western perimeter of the fire along Hwy 1. Falling rocks and the potential of spot fires across the road remain as concerns on Hwy 1.

Aerial resources took advantage of clear skies to assist ground resources with retardant and bucket drops. However, smoke impacted air operations. As air quality and visibility improve, aviation assets will support crews on the ground.

Today, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department entered into unified command with California Incident Management Team 2 and Big Sur Fire. The incident management team completed the move into a new incident command post at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

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. 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: A Red Flag Warning is in effect over the fire area for thunderstorms, dry lightning and gusty outflow winds.

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.

Actualizado: 2020-08-23 10:14 PDT

Incéndios

Fuego River:

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

Fuego Carmel:

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

Fuego Dolan: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018/

Humo

La probabilidad de tormentas eléctricas puede aumentar el comportamiento del fuego y producir más humo, pero se espera un mayor movimiento y dispersión del humo con el aumento de la velocidad del viento. Las áreas al sur de los incendios podrían ver una mejor calidad del aire debido a los vientos del sur que se pronostican. Se predice que las condiciones de humo en toda la zona de pronóstico cambiarán de Insalubre para Grupos Sensitivos (IGS) a Insalubre.

Más

La calidad del aire puede cambiar repentinamente. Todo el mundo debería intentar limitar las actividades al aire libre bajo estas condiciones insalubres de calidad del aire.

Smoke Outlook for 8/23 - 8/24

Central Coast Fires

Issued at: 2020-08-23 09:11 PDT

Special Statement

For detailed information on local air quality advisories, please see the links below.

A Red Flag Warning for Gusty Outflow Winds and Dry Lightning in effect from 5 am Sunday through 5 pm Monday.

Fire Information

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

Carmel:https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmelfire

Dolan:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

Smoke

Chance of incoming thunderstorms may increase fire behavior and produce more smoke, but expect greater movement and

dispersion of smoke with increase wind speeds. Areas south of the fires may see some improved air quality due predicted

south winds. Smoke conditions throughout the forecast zone are predicted to see Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) to

unhealthy.

Other

Air quality may change unexpectedly. Everyone should try and limit their outdoor activity in these unhealthy air quality

conditions.

Incident Information:

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

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory

Size: 19,287

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

Containment: 10%

Injuries: 0

Total Personnel: 488

Resources:

Hand Crews: 8

Engines: 31

Dozers: 6

Fixed wing: 1

Water Tenders: 6

A Red Flag Warning is in effect today till 5:00 p.m. due to the combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures that will contribute to extreme fire behavior. Thunderstorms with little to no precipitation are possible and will be accompanied by erratic and gusty outflow winds between 30 and 65 mph across the fire area.

The fire remained active overnight, primarily with backing fire. Fire activity moderated in the early morning hours as humidity increased. Crews continued to focus on point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia to the South and Partington Ridge and Anderson Peak communications infrastructure to the North. The community of South Coast was secured.

An infrared equipped aircraft flew a mapping flight over the fire yesterday afternoon. This data was used to revise the perimeter and was the primary reason for the increase in acreage.

Today, operations will continue to focus on point protection as well as scouting for locations to build direct and indirect fire line using both heavy equipment and hand crews. Crews will also be checking the North Coast Ridge Road and working out any hotspots near the road. As the fire continues to burn along the eastern side of Highway 1, engines and crews continue will patrol and extinguish spot fires that are occurring across the highway. Winds are predicted to shift from predominantly north northwest to south southeast.

This change in wind direction will shift the area of highest fire activity from the south end to the north end of the Dolan Fire.

Smoke will continue to impact air operations around the fire, limiting aircraft availability and effectiveness. When air quality and visibility improve, aviation assets including helicopters, will support crews on the ground.

The incident management team will be moving into a new incident command post today at Big Sur Pfeiffer State Park. The move is expected to take most of the day so there will not be a Facebook Live meeting.

Information for the next Facebook Live meeting will be posted on Inciweb and shared through our daily update.

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. 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: A Red Flag Warning is in effect over the fire area for thunderstorms, dry lightning and gusty outflow winds.

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

The closure of Highway 1 has changed. The highway is now closed near mile marker 38/Troy Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.

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/.

Alert 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:

Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020

Cause: Unknown

Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory

Size: 14,000

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

Containment: 10%

Injuries: 0

Resources:

Hand Crews: 6

Engines: 25

Dozers: 3

Helicopters: 4

Fixed wing: 1

Water Tenders: 3

Total Personnel: 400

Current Situation:

Today a 30-minute Facebook Live community meeting was held on the Los Padres National Forest Facebook Page. Incident Commanders Minton and Harris provided an operational update and answered questions concerning evacuations and road closures. The video is available for viewing at: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest. Tomorrow the incident management team will be moving into a new incident command post tomorrow at Big Sur Pfeiffer State Park. The move is expected to take most of the day so there will not be a Facebook Live meeting. Look for the announcement for the next meeting on Inciweb and through our daily Update.

Throughout the day crews continued to focus on point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia to the South and Partington Ridge and Anderson Peak communications infrastructure to the North. As the threat diminishes and fire passes, these priorities will shift. As more resources arrive the plan will expand to include additional perimeter control operations.

Crews tied in the perimeter on the north end of the fire off North Coast Ridge Road, where the fire had burned over the road. Firefighters are building fire line directly on the fire’s edge to prevent the possibility of further spread. Containment along the west side of the fire (10% so far) is expected to increase over the next few days as firefighters assure that the line is secure.

Fire activity in the areas Hermitage and Lucia continued to be slow and steady backing fires, allowing crews to continue point protection and prepare to engage as necessary. Fire activity also continued to be visible from Hwy 1, with firefighters and equipment preparing to engage along the highway.

Tomorrow, operations will continue to focus on point protection as well as scouting for locations to build direct and indirect fire line using both heavy equipment and hand crews. Smoke will continue to impact air operations around the fire, limiting aircraft availability and effectiveness. In areas above the layer of smoke, or when the smoke lifts, fire behavior will become more active. A Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 5:00 a.m. Sunday until 5:00 p.m. Monday due to the high potential for dry lightning and winds gusting from 40 to 50 mph across the fire area.

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. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Aircraft that can map a fire using infrared imagery used to determine acreage have not yet flown the fire. 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: Moisture from Tropical Depression Genevieve will bring mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures to the area today.

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

The closure of Highway 1 has changed. The highway is now closed near mile marker 38/Troy Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.

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/.

Alert 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: Area residents are encouraged to prepare for the approach of fire in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.