Mike Gilson drops two big stacks of hot pizzas on the wooden bench outside Big Sur Station on Thursday, June 26. Even though his rented home on Newell Ranch burnt down earlier this week, Gilson whipped up pizzas at Big Sur Bakery for firefighters and residents gathered to hear the latest on the Basin Complex fires.

Residents ritualistically attend these nightly meetings, chatting in small huddles while volunteers hand out fire reports. Officials post large maps above the front steps of the visitor center that show the fire’s perimeter. The smell of smoke lingers in the moist air. But the mood has been upbeat throughout the week even as word arrived Monday, June 30, that the fire reached the Big Sur Gorge, the gateway to Big Sur Valley.

Mike Dietrich, incident commander of the Basin Complex fires, starts the Thursday meeting with the latest figures: 26,000 acres burned, 3 percent contained. (At press time, the blaze had spread to 51,985 acres and was still only 3 percent contained.) Dietrich says easterly winds should keep the fire in the rugged Los Padres National Forest wilderness. “That pushes the fire away from the community,” he says.

Frank Pinney, chief of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade, is this tight-knit community’s resolute leader. Wearing his yellow fire brigade coat, Pinney calmly reports that his team has been perfecting the fire lines around a number of threatened structures along Partington Ridge. The fire’s spread has slowed considerably, but Pinney says its south edge could threaten homes. A few days later, at Monday’s meeting, he verifies that his prediction is accurate– and, as a result, fire teams are bracing to defend a critical fire-break with everything they’ve got.

Come Monday, June 30, air tankers cut through the twilight smoke along the ridge next to– and visible from– the Big Sur Station, releasing sheets of blood-red fire retardant. Key-lime green Forest Service trucks rumble by behind the gathering, full of weary bodies and ashy equipment. But even with dramatic reminders of how serious the situation is, Pinney and the other leaders at the helm of the event maintain a jovial disposition that helps soothe frayed nerves.

“Mike [Dietrich, incident commander] won’t be here tonight,” the U.S. Forest Service’s Leona Roderick says, to a tongue-in-cheek smattering of boos. “He was on ‘The Today Show’ this morning, so you can razz him when you see him.”

Pinney adds a little lightness while discussing the envelope of breaks they hope to hold the fire with: “We want to think inside the box,” he says.

The easygoing tone does give way to more serious, moment-of-truth talk from Deputy Incident Cmdr. Jim Giachino. “Along this southern part,” he says, waving his laser pointer over the 6-foot-high map next to him, “we’re gonna take a stand. At Dolan Ridge, we’re looking to construct a line. This is the place where we feel we have to stop the southern advance.

“We’ve decided tonight is it. We may have to stay awhile… but we’re hoping and praying we can stop it.”

After officials speak to open each meeting, it’s time for the community report. On Thursday, Barbara Ray Daughters says the volunteer-run fire hotline (667-2317) is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm. (Volunteers also set up an informational website and bulletin board at www.surfire2008.org.)

Jeannie Ford, president of the Coast Property Owners’ Association, says the nonprofit organization has started a fire relief fund to give cash to families who have lost their homes. So far, Ford says, the association has raised more than $35,000 and will distribute money the following week. The crowd of about 100 people cheer. (A follow-up from Ford on Monday will bring more good news: the CPOA, bolstered by a $100,000 gift from the Big Sur Land Trust, will distribute $300 to those displaced or otherwise unable to earn their income.)

When the meeting opens for questions on Thursday, someone thanks Pinney for coordinating a visit to Partington Ridge. Pinney replies with a joke: “I want to tell you that I did lose the arm wrestling [contest] with the governor,” who was in the area earlier in the day.

A man with long blond hair warns the group to watch out for boars and deer running from the fire. Pinney adds that eight bulls and two cows are loose from Newell Ranch.

At the close of the meeting Pinney quips: “Let’s think of something else to do in the summer next year.”

Hyson Epstein, who lives on Pfeiffer Ridge, is among the many who have marveled at the response by local citizens. “People are really community oriented and it’s really coming out.” Epstein also says the fire reminds people of what really matters. “Your stuff isn’t important but your life and people are,” he says.

Gilson of Big Sur Bakery learned that lesson hard. He and his girlfriend, Heather Riedel, were only able to get out a carload of their possessions, along with their dogs, cats and fish before they evacuated early June 22. Gilson hiked in the next afternoon with neighbors and saw a bunch of little fires charring the canyon.

“I just left some hoses on and we all agreed we had to get out of there,” he says. His house burned down the next day.

While saddened by the loss, Gilson says he is focusing on helping his neighbors. “In a sense we are kind of done, in that we don’t have to worry about our place and now the focus really goes to helping others that are trying to protect their place and evacuate.”

Gilson and Riedel are staying with friends in Big Sur for now and seeking a temporary home where they and their 4-year-old daughter, Daija, can live. Gilson says he was reassured to hear that his landlords, Roger and Beverly Newell, plan to rebuild and offer them their spot back once its finished.

“Initially, it’s a tough pill to swallow when what you believe to be the most perfect home you could imagine goes up in smoke with most of your belongings in it,” Gilson says. “But ultimately it’s about the spot… the location… the canyon and forest, regardless of its condition. And so we already dream about living right there again… even as it smolders.”