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Big Sur evacuated due to Soberanes fire August 7, 2016

Big Sur evacuated due to Soberanes fire August 7, 2016

Old Aug 7th, 2016, 01:22 PM
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Big Sur evacuated due to Soberanes fire August 7, 2016

All businesses and residences in the Big Sur Village area were evacuated early this morning from Point Sur Lighthouse to Graves Canyon. This includes all accommodations from the Big Sur River Inn down to Deetjen's. I believe Esalen and others farther south remain open. State parks from Garrapata to Julia Pfeiffer Burns remain closed and the Los Padres National Forest is closed all the way south to Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd.
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Old Aug 7th, 2016, 01:35 PM
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What a shame --
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Old Aug 7th, 2016, 02:05 PM
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This took everyone by surprise. The area wasn't even under evacuation warning when the mandatory evacuation order was issued at 3am. The fire jumped a line due to gusts overnight. They had planned back burns from Big Sur but hadn't been able to conduct them all week due to conditions.
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Old Aug 7th, 2016, 02:19 PM
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As of 3pm the area west of Hwy 1 down to Graves Canyon has changed from a mandatory evacuation order to an evacuation warning. The area east of Hwy 1 remains under mandatory evacuation. I don't know if this means that businesses on the west side of the highway will reopen.
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Old Aug 8th, 2016, 11:59 AM
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The mandatory evacuation order in Big Sur was reduced to an evacuation warning at noon today. Coast Ridge Rd remains under mandatory evacuation. I believe River Inn, Riverside and Nepenthe have reopened, not sure what else.
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Old Aug 8th, 2016, 12:32 PM
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How is the smoke situation?
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Old Aug 8th, 2016, 02:31 PM
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Fine in Carmel since last Thursday. Really bad in Big Sur from what I hear and also Carmel Valley but more in the Cachagua area than the village itself. They're back burning in Cachagua right now.

Hwy 1 will be closed from 10pm tonight until 6am tomorrow morning from Palo Colorado Rd to North Coast Ridge Rd.
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Old Aug 9th, 2016, 03:54 PM
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Hwy 1 will be closed during the same hours again tonight.
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Old Aug 11th, 2016, 03:56 PM
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There's an anticipated closure of Hwy 1 in the next 24-48 hours but no specific time has been announced yet. The closure may last up to 48 hours https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREBEU/...type=3&theater

Really smoky yesterday and this morning in Carmel.
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Old Aug 12th, 2016, 08:26 AM
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Thanks for the update. We're supposed to be heading up from L.A. for car week...
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Old Aug 13th, 2016, 05:27 PM
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Hwy 1 will close at 2pm tomorrow for up to 24 hours between Point Sur Lighthouse and North Coast Ridge Rd https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREBEU/...type=3&theater

Blue skies in Carmel today and same predicted for tomorrow.

Thursday's Tour d'Elegance will be rerouted to avoid Big Sur and Carmel Valley Rd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFTjcMpquEk
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Old Aug 13th, 2016, 06:17 PM
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Thanks, Patty. We're still trying to figure out which way to go... and which car to drive...

But it's a low priority dilemma compared to what people in the fire area are contending with. 57 homes lost!
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Old Aug 15th, 2016, 05:10 PM
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I am wondering if I should cancel my trip to Carmel on Aug 28 due to the smoke?
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Old Aug 15th, 2016, 06:26 PM
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Right now the smoke comes and goes. It's really hard to say what it will be like almost 2 weeks from now. Expected containment is still August 31st.

The Hwy 1 closure has now been extended until midnight https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREBEU/...type=3&theater
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Old Aug 16th, 2016, 03:41 PM
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Current status of evacuation orders and warnings in Big Sur https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREBEU/...type=3&theater

The air in Carmel is still clear today (4th straight day, woohoo!) and we spent most of the day at Concours on the Avenue.
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Old Aug 16th, 2016, 07:19 PM
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Another evacuation update https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREBEU/...type=3&theater
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Old Aug 18th, 2016, 02:39 PM
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Containment date has been pushed out to 9/30/2016 https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREBEU/...type=3&theater

We're getting ash in Carmel today and very faint smoke.
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Old Aug 21st, 2016, 02:12 PM
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Thanks Patty for the updates on the smoke in Carmel. Is it still smoky?
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Old Aug 22nd, 2016, 08:14 AM
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Ash continued to fall over the weekend but smoke was barely noticeable, nothing like the previous week. At this point it's possible the fire is far enough south that we won't be getting heavy smoke even if the wind blows from the south.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2016, 08:26 AM
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FYI to those of you visiting the Big Sur area. There is another fire called Chimney Rock Fire that is burning west of Paso Robles in the Lake Naciemento area. The fire is currently threatening Hearst Castle so all tours are cancelled until the fire is contained. Hopefully, they will be able to save the castle.
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