A brushfire in Big Sur grew to more than 100 acres late Friday night, driven by strong winds as firefighters from around California’s Central Coast were called to respond. The fire was reported around 7 p.m. and evacuations were underway on the east side of Highway 1 from Palo Colorado Road to Rocky Creek Bridge, said Mike Meddles, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection duty chief. Strong winds in the area were pushing the fire west, Meddles said. As of around 10 p.m., firefighters from 13 agencies had responded.
@PGE4Me webcam at CTRY CLUB HTS in Carmel Valley pointed toward the fire ongoing along the Big Sur Coast near Rocky Creek and Palo Colorado Canyon. Please avoid Highway 1 south of Carmel. Humidity is in the teens with gusts around 35 mph! #CAwx #CAfire pic.twitter.com/EM8dEy2HKg— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) January 22, 2022
“We’re trying to get more [firefighters] in,” he said. The National Weather Service’s San Francisco office canceled a wind advisory for lower elevations earlier Friday, but warned that strong winds were likely to impact the region’s higher elevations. Humidity levels were in the teens and winds gusted around 35 mph, forecasters said. Authorities have named the blaze the Colorado fire, the weather service said. This is a developing story and will be updated.