Colorado Fire: Evacuations Lifted, Highway 1 Reopens

BIG SUR, CA —500 Big Sur residents evacuated since Friday were able to return home Wednesday after evacuation orders were lifted around noon. Cal Fire said Wednesday morning that they had contained 55% of the 700-acre fire.

Highway 1, which had been closed from Garrapata Creek to Point Sur, was also reopened.

An investigation from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has concluded that hot embers from a pile burning operation sparked the Colorado Fire.

According to a Cal Fire news release, “high winds blew the embers onto nearby vegetation, which ignited the fire.”

The fire is 55% contained as of Wednesday morning, Cal Fire reports. “Fire activity was minimal overnight, with higher [humidity] and light winds. Firefighters continue strengthening the control lines and mopping-up hot spots. Weather is expected to remain favorable through the day.”

Firefighting crews say increased fog, wind, and humidity are helping their containment efforts.

The fire ignited Friday evening in the Palo Colorado canyon in Big Sur and quickly spread toward the sea, fanned by winds up to 50 mph. The blaze burned at least 2.3 square miles of brush and redwood trees, said Cecile Juliette, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

"The fire lined up with the wind and the terrain and that gave the fire a lot of energy to make a big run," she said Saturday.

A wind advisory was issued in the Bay Area for Friday night through Saturday morning, though meteorologists said strong winds were most likely in higher elevations, according to the National Weather Service.

Authorities closed an iconic stretch of Highway 1 with no estimated time for reopening. The two-lane highway along Big Sur is prone to closures due to fire and mudslides from heavy rain made portions of the roadway collapse last year and in 2017.

Evacuees shared on social media dramatic images of flames burning behind iconic Bixby Bridge.

The tall concrete span has been the backdrop of many car commercials, movies and TV shows, most recently the HBO drama "Big Little Lies."

Strong winds were recorded across the San Francisco Bay Area overnight, knocking down trees and power lines and causing outages to at least 18,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers in the region, the utility said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

In Sonoma County, firefighters extinguished a 5-acre fire on Geyser Peak, where gusts above 90 mph (145 kph) were recorded. In the Sierra Nevada, the winds topped 141 mph (226 kph) near the summit of Kirkwood Mountain Resort, shutting several ski lifts.

In Southern California, a peak gust 90 mph (144 kph) was recorded in the mountains east of Santa Clarita. Strong winds developed across the region, toppling trees and powerlines.

The National Weather Service said a similar windy event happened in Bay Area nearly a year ago. A red flag warning of extreme fire danger was issued then due to the strong winds and much drier conditions.

This time, the region received a reprieve from December storms that dumped heavy snow in the mountains and partially refilled parched reservoirs.

However, Juliette said the winds quickly dried up vegetation weakened by a prolonged drought and lowered humidity level.

"It's unusual to have fire this size here on the coast at the end of January," she said. "The fact that we had a fire this size is of great concern."