u/nepenthe11

this week has truly shown us the best in humanity (our community coming together to feed, house, & help each other, + save homes & help tackle this fire), but also the very very worst (tourists acting abhorrently, using the highway as their personal race track, blocking emergency vehicles from getting through, doing donuts in the street while people are trying to evacuate, & ignoring all of the messages, signs, etc. to please not come here while there is an active fire destroying our community). it’s just shameful.

& now we’ve lost a beloved member of our community. and i know we don’t have all of the facts yet- but given the type of car who hit him was reportedly a dodge coupe & the person from fresno, it leads me to believe they were likely not local and certainly not an emergency vehicle. those are the only folks that have any business driving in big sur right now while this fire rages on & threatens our community. my gut tells me this was was preventable & i am both devastated and livid.

i realize i’m just screaming into the void. & i also am cognizant that car week brings it a massive amount of revenue to this county & that there are some wonderful, respectful participants who are there for the right reasons. but man, am i glad it’s over so that the majority of the negligent, selfish visitors stop treating our crisis as entertainment & jeopardizing our safety.

PS: to anyone spreading misinformation about our friend who was killed & claiming the fire doesn’t exist- shame on you.

ttps://carsandcoast.com/fire

the fire exploded to 800 acres overnight. we know it’s car week and one of the busiest times (if not the busiest week) of the year in monterey county. but please do not make the drive while this fire is burning.

“Highway 1 is the only road in or out. Every car that drives down to look is one more vehicle between an engine and the fire, on a road with nowhere to pull over. Give it to the crews and the people who live here.”

UPDATE: MONTEREY COUNTY – As of 2 pm Tuesday, August 11, a 10-mile stretch of Highway 1 is closed to support Timber Fire emergency response.
 
Highway 1 is closed from 2-miles north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (Post Mile 37.5) to Fernwood (Post Mile 47) to facilitate firefighting and evacuation operations.
 
Electronic message boards will alert travelers in advance of the closure. Avoid any unnecessary travel through the area. Drivers should use US 101 as an alternate route.
 
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.  

too soon to know what started this but regardless- just another reminder not to start illegal campfires. can hear helicopters so hoping it’s contained quickly. flame is pretty sizable.

update: things are escalating very quickly. evacuation warnings are in place & everyone’s trying to help their neighbors prepare for the worse. hopefully it’s just exercising extra caution- but a stark reminder that the sobranes fire began similarly & folks that lost their homes are reminding all of us to take this seriously.