For 16 days the Soberanes Fire has spread through the Santa Lucia Mountains that rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean above Big Sur. Since we last wrote about the fire on August 2 the fire has grown from 43,000 to 57,845 acres. There have been no reports of additional homes burned since it was announced five days ago that 57 residences and 11 outbuildings had been destroyed. Another three homes have been damaged.
Since starting from an illegal campfire, the blaze has been moving through very steep, rugged, inaccessible terrain. Several areas are under evacuation orders.
It has burned to within 1.2 miles of Big Sur on Highway 1, and is 15 miles west of US 101. It has not crossed US 101 and at its closest point is about 1,000 feet from the highway.
I can imagine someone in the payroll department starting a fire and claiming 10,000 firefighters are actually being paid. A lot of poison oak might have burned.
Oh yeah? Well rested firefighters get in accidents? I suppose if we shut down driving all together we could end firefighter accidents.
a buddy of mine is the HFEO (if they still call them that) on 2540 out of Ishi,TGU.i spoke with him on FB messenger just a bit ago,he was telling me they will have the best line ever built……….when it hits the ocean..then he typed in some words i won’t repeat here…lol…
meant to say he just got home from the sobrantes fire at 3am,and drove from Ishi back to nevada city where he lives by 5am….its a long drive from there normally….lol
Mr. Kauffman, please ask your friend why the hell he’s driving home from an incident at 3am – not smart, and ill advised (aside from being contrary to Federal travel policy). Let’s be safe out there people!
Bob,i worded that incorrectly,he left Ishi at 3am,i dont know when he left the fire to return to ishi,or when he arrived there.he left up there early to get home for a family function..in his own private vehicle,on his own time. it should have read:
he just got home from the sobrantes fire and at 3am, drove from Ishi back
im dyslexic,and mess stuff up at times.gettin worse as i get older (im 54)
Federal policies do not apply to state employees.
Safety is relative. It is not bad to leave at 3am if the operator is rested and can function appropriately.
Sorry CAFF but history of firefighter driving fatalities does not support your statement.
Good looking fuel break on the West – I think they’ll hold that section when the fire gets there.
Good one Emmett – I used to have an old school manager who liked to say, while we were losing IA fires, “Don’t worry about it, we have the pacific on our west flank and the atlantic on our east flank, where the hell can it go?”