4:17 p.m. PDT June 18, 2021
The Willow Fire was discovered Thursday at 8:10 p.m. in a remote area of the Ventana Wilderness in the Los Padres National Forest about a mile from Tassajara Hot Springs. Friday at 3 p.m. it was putting up a large column of smoke and had burned an estimated 750 acres.
The fire is 6 miles east of the Pacific Coast, 18 miles west of King City and Highway 101, and two miles north of the Dolan Fire that burned 124,000 acres in August and September of last year.
From the US Forest Service Friday afternoon:
“There are approximately 300 firefighters on the ground including five Type 1 Interagency Hotshot crews. Air support including fixed-wing air tankers and water-dropping helicopters are assisting crews. The fire is burning in steep, rugged, and brushy terrain accessible only by hiking in.
“The weather is hot and dry with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees with low humidity levels. Winds out of the southwest are 5-10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. The Arroyo Seco Recreation Area is closed. Tassajara Road is closed from the Tassajara Zen Center to China Camp. Residents have been evacuated from Tassajara Zen Center to China Camp. Arroyo Seco Road is under an evacuation advisory to Carmel Valley Road.”
