Hope you are all doing well and that you and your loved ones are safe and sound. We’ve had a busy few weeks across the Los Padres with two new devastating fires affecting the forest. No sooner was the Pine Fire wrapped up in Ventura County, when two new fires broke out, both starting Friday July 22. The Sand Fire, in Angeles National Forest, has burned just over 41,000 acres with 98% containment. While Sand won’t burn into Los Padres soil, much of the far southern portion of the Los Padres has been affected by the smoke and ash from the fire. Good luck to the fire crews and everyone involved with the Sand Fire.
The Soberanes Fire started the morning of July 22 just south of Carmel within Garrapata State Park near Soberanes Canyon. Over the past 11 days the fire has spread quickly, burning over 40,000 acres with only 18% containment. Soberanes has destroyed 57 homes, 11 outbuildings and continues to threaten over 2,000 additional structures. The fire has burned south into the Los Padres and doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon with estimates of full containment being August 31.
The LP is currently closed north of Nacimiento-Ferguson Road and all state parks along Hwy 1 are closed between Point Lobos and Julia Pfeiffer Burns.
• Twitter: #SoberanesFire
• Inciweb
• Big Sur Kate blog
• Mapping Support Interactive Map
• Los Padres National Forest
Smoke from Soberanes has been seen as far away as Reno, San Francisco and San Luis Obispo. There’s quite a few families displaced as a result of the fire and tragically one death caused by a dozer rolling. If you are interested in helping donate to the families affected by the fire, here are some options:
• How to help the fire victims
• Donations via Big Sur Kate site
• Go Fund Me in memory of dozer operator Robert Reagan
In addition, the Nature Store at Big Sur Station has been re-purposed as a donation and distribution center for Big Sur based people who have been affected by Soberanes. For more information on how you can contribute please reach out to Tim Bills at BigSur@LPForest.org
In the meantime, the fight against the fire continues. Fire lines are being built where they can but the steep terrain is making it tough to get the upper hand on Soberanes. With wilderness to the south, it could be a while before Soberanes stops burning. Thank you to everyone involved in the fire, please be safe…..