What to Know
- About 700 acres have burned so far and is 40% contained, according to Cal Fire officials.
- The fire started at 5:19 p.m. Friday in the Palo Colorado Canyon area of the county, was initially reported to have burned 1,500 acres.
- The Colorado Fire shelter that has been established at Carmel Middle School will be closing on Monday at 7 a.m.
Cal Fire reported Monday evening that the Colorado Fire, off Palo Colorado in the Big Sur area, south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, was 40% contained with about 700 acres were still burning.
Officials said that better map management showed the fire is smaller than the 1,050 acres reported Sunday morning, when the blaze was reportedly 25% contained.
Cal Fire described the fire behavior as "moderate and made wind-driven runs late Saturday night and into Sunday morning. With some isolated tree torching."
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The fire started at 5:19 p.m. Friday in the Palo Colorado Canyon area of the county, was initially reported to have burned 1,500 acres.
The Colorado Fire shelter that has been established at Carmel Middle School will be closing on Monday at 7 a.m. County officials reported that while 75 residences were evacuated only a handful of people used the emergency facility. Colorado Fire evacuees can still access shelter information by calling 2-1-1. Discounted hotel rooms are available in Carmel, including pet friendly options. Valid ID showing an address from an evacuation zone is required.
About 75 homes were given evacuation orders but many decided not to leave.
As of 7:50 p.m. Sunday, Highway 1 in both directions was still closed, from Molera Park Entrance to Granite Canyon Bridge. There's no estimated time of reopening, said Caltrans.
Caltrans is patrolling the highway for rockfall and will be inspecting drainage facilities. Road status information is available at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.
The unusual January wildfire was fanned by strong winds in the region, pushing flames from rugged terrain to the Pacific Ocean. The winds have since died down.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office on Friday issued a mandatory evacuation order for all areas West of 3800 Palo Colorado Rd. to Highway 1 and South to Bixby Creek.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
