The Dolan Fire burning along the Big Sur coastline has nearly tripled in size over the past 48 hours. Fueled by strong northerly winds, the wildfire grew to 93,554 acres with containment at 20 percent as of Wednesday morning, according to the US Forest Service.
As of Monday morning, the fire had burned 36,237 acres, and by Tuesday morning, it had grown to 73,089 acres. A suspected arsonist sparked the Dolan Fire on Aug. 18 near Dolan Road and Highway 1 in the Los Padres National Forest.
The fire burned Tuesday afternoon actively through the entire evening on the eastern and southern edges, moving within the boundaries of Fort Hunter Liggett. The Dolan Fire is burning on the Monterey Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest. The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain, including portions of the Ventana Wilderness Area.
Tuesday morning, the fire trapped 14 firefighters who were battling flames around the Nacimiento Station, officials said. Firefighters suffered from burns and smoke inhalation. Three patients were transported to Community Regional Hospital in Fresno for assessment and care. All three firefighters were reported to be in stable condition. The Nacimiento Station was destroyed.
Tuesday’s activity led to new evacuations being issued, including an order for the Gorda area and a warning for Salmon creek.
Highway 1 is closed north of Vista Point south to Pacific Valley as a result of the fire. Nacimiento-Ferguson Road Is closed to all traffic from Highway 1 to the Fort Hunter Liggett base boundary line. Los Burros Road, Plaskett Ridge Road, South Coast Ridge Road are closed except to residents.
The fire has shuttered the following California State Parks: Andrew Molera, Garrapata, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, John Little, Limekiln, Pfeiffer Big Sur, Point Lobos and Point Sur.
Officials expect Wednesday that winds will shift from the north to the southwest with possible gusts up to 30 mph impacting fire behavior through approximately 1 p.m. A cooler marine layer will affect the fire below 1,000 feet in elevation. Areas above the layer will see higher temperatures and increasing winds. Fire behavior is expected to moderate this afternoon as winds die down.
Elsewhere, the Creek Fire continued to burn in the Sierra National Forest in all directions and grew to 163,168 acres with 0% containment as of Wednesday morning, according to the US Forest Service.
There have been 365 structures destroyed, and 5,296 remain threatened by the wildfire, which continues to burn on both sides of the San Joaquin River and around Shaver and Huntington lakes.
