A wind-driven wildfire broke out late Friday in the rugged mountains above Big Sur, forcing residents to evacuate from their homes and authorities to shut down a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway.
Called the Colorado Fire, it began around 7:30 p.m. Friday and, by Saturday morning, had burned 1,500 acres, including in parts of Palo Colorado Canyon, south of Carmel-by-the-Sea in Monterey County.
Numerous photos posted by evacuees on social media show burning flames behind the iconic Bixby Bridge. The concrete bridge spans the deep and wild canyon along the highway and has been the backdrop of many car commercials, movies, and TV shows, most recently the HBO drama “Big Little Lies.”
According to Cal Fire, the blaze is 5 percent contained, and its cause is unknown at this time. Officials shut down Highway 1 in both directions from Andrew Molera State Park to Carmel-By-The-Sea, according to local reports. The American Red Cross was setting up a shelter at a middle school.
“Anecdotally, it seems as though the long term drought is acting like a chronic illness where even recent rains and cold winter weather isn’t helping to keep fires from developing,” the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office wrote.
“Pictures on social media suggest some pretty surreal fire behavior given the wet October and December that was observed across the region,” it added, according to SF Gate.
Mandatory evacuations are in place for residents living along Palo Colorado Road from Highway 1 east to Rocky Creek Bridge and Bixby Creek Road.
The American Red Cross has also opened a shelter for evacuees of the Palo Colorado area. The emergency shelter is located at Carmel Middle School at 4380 Carmel Valley Road.
