Basin Complex Fire From Church Creek: Big Sur Have Been Dealing with Increasingly Smokey Conditions SInce the Fire Started June 21 Don Gruber
Basin Complex Fire Roars On
Big Sur Fire Takes Turn For The Worse — Residents Ordered to Evacuate
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The dense coastal fog offered firefighters some reprieve earlier this week in the intensifying Basin Complex Fire in Big Sur. But Wednesday the fire jumped several key firebreaks to threaten more residences, forcing a mandatory evacuation order for all of Big Sur, from Andrew Molera State Park to Lime Kiln State Park, both the West and East sides of Highway 1. Earlier in the week Governor Schwarzenegger had ordered around 200 National Guard troops to provide ground support to firefighters. On Wednesday the Governor visited the area, as residents loaded their vehicles and prepared to move away from the smoky setting. The fire was ignited by lightening June 21, an inauspicious beginning to summer for California firefighters. In its thirteenth day, the Basin Complex Fire has consumed over 53,000 acres and destroyed 17 homes. Over 1,200 others, in Big Sur, Cachagua and Carmel Valley are threatened. Firefighters told local residents on Wednesday that they, too, might leave the scene temporarily if the fire became too dangerous to fight, and return as quickly as possible. With the fire raging to the east and the south, hardy residents had been permitted to remain, smokey air and all. But the winds shifted early Wednesday leading to the evacuation order. The fire was seen moving down the ridge towards Highway 1 from places near Big Sur Bakery and Spirit Garden. The Red Cross opened an evacuation center at Carmel Valley Middle School and hundreds of cots were available, lined up in the gymnasium. For the latest news from county government: http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/PR_OES/PR_fire.htm From the state: http://165.221.39.44/incident/1367/
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