Travelers with plans to visit Big Sur are being urged to postpone their trips as the Timber Fire continues to grow, even if their hotels remain open and outside the evacuation zone.
As the Timber Fire continued to grow Wednesday, surpassing 3,500 acres and with only 5% contained, many tourist attractions along the Big Sur coast remained under evacuation orders or were closed to the public.
Still, some hotels in Big Sur’s northern areas were not under evacuation Wednesday and remained open. But authorities urged tourists to avoid the Big Sur area to allow first responders to safely fight the fire.
“We’re in such early days where we’re not even able to predict if this fire is going to be a matter of days or a matter of weeks, and so we really just need to understand what we’re dealing with,” said Monterey County Supervisor Kate Daniels, whose district includes Big Sur. “Then folks can make their plans to come back.”
What is the status of the fire?
The Timber Fire broke out Saturday night just north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and quadrupled in size by Monday, spreading in several directions. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire had grown to 3,774 acres, according to Cal Fire. It was spreading primarily northward and southward, with little movement toward Highway 1. Firefighters were continuing to set up fire lines to slow its spread.
Firefighters also had to temporarily stop their response Wednesday afternoon as a storm system passing overhead brought lightning strikes into the region, Cal Fire said. Officials noted that the rainstorm could help dampen the spread of the fire but also brings strong winds that could further elevate fire risk.
What areas have been evacuated?
Fire officials have placed large swaths of Big Sur under mandatory evacuation orders, affecting residents, hotels, campgrounds and state parks. The area under evacuation covered 16 square miles stretching from Partington Cove north to the Big Sur River Inn. Additional areas were under evacuation warnings, and residents should prepare to evacuate if necessary.
Campgrounds, both those that are part of state parks and those that are privately operated, have been evacuated as well, Daniels said.
The only people allowed to remain at some of the hotels were a select group of staff assisting with structure protection, such as at Deetjen’s, where some staff chose to remain behind to both assist if the fire gets closer and distribute food to firefighters and neighbors fighting the flames.
How are state parks affected?
Four state parks in the Big Sur region — Andrew Molera State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Point Sur State Historic Park — were closed to the public Monday and will remain closed until further notice, according to California State Parks. Staff and tourists in the parks were evacuated, said Adeline Yee, an information officer for California State Parks.
What if I have state park reservations?
All camping reservations in the four area state parks have been canceled through Aug. 18, Yee said. On Wednesday, the fire began burning into some southern areas of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park but had not caused damage to structures.
“State Parks is urging all visitors to avoid coming to the Big Sur area to keep the roads clear for first responders,” she added. “State Parks is working closely with CAL FIRE to protect all these iconic parks in the Big Sur area.”
Camping reservations beyond that date could also face cancellation depending on the fire. Those whose reservations have been canceled will be issued refunds, Yee added.
My hotel is still open. Should I still go to Big Sur?
Even parts of Big Sur that remain open are affected by the firefighting response, Daniels said.
“Even areas that might be in just an evacuation warning at this point and not an evacuation order are impacted by the firefighting that is going on,” Daniels said. “At this point in time, I would encourage anyone that’s not essential, even in the locations just adjacent, to consider in this first week and these really early days to allow for that space to exist solely for the purposes of fighting this fire.”
People with reservations at hotels that are still open should consider rescheduling their trip to lighten the burden on local public safety authorities, Daniels said, adding that all the firefighters who would usually respond to other emergencies need to focus on the wildfire.
Travelers should contact their hotel for information about cancellations or rebooking.
“This is such a critical time in the fire response,” she added.
Daniels encouraged those planning to visit Big Sur to consider another location in Monterey County such as Pinnacles National Park or the Elkhorn Slough.
“This is always devastating,” Daniels said. “Big Sur businesses are no stranger to this type of devastation. We rely on visitors coming to the region for our economy, and so the sooner we can get this fire under control and out, the better it will be for all of our businesses.”
