By admin 
Two fires burning on the Big Sur coast both continued to grow Friday morning — forcing more evacuations and the closure of a long stretch of Highway 1.
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The Timber Fire, which ignited on Aug. 9, grew to 23,343 acres southeast of Loma Vista. The blaze was 26% contained, and threatened 661 structures, according to Cal Fire.
Evacuation orders surrounding the Timber Fire increased from 11 areas to 14 areas by Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the Plaskett Fire jumped to 2,774 acres on Friday morning, also prompting evacuation orders.
The expanding fires have led to evacuation warnings and orders that span from near the San Luis Obispo County line at the south to the Little Sur River at the north.
The firefighting response and evacuations forced the closure of 40 miles of Highway 1, from one mile south of Old Coast Road at mile marker 50.1 to just north of Gorda at mile marker 10.2.
The cause of both fires was under investigation.
Meanwhile, a red flag warning remained in effect for a swath of California, from Los Angeles County to the Santa Cruz Mountains — including all of San Luis Obispo County. The National Weather Service warned of the possibility of dry lightning and potentially extreme wildfires.
Timber Fire evacuation orders expand
On Friday, firefighters battling the Timber Fire focused on protecting structures, strengthening containment lines and implementing controlled burn operating near Manuel Peak, Cal Fire said.
Meanwhile, ground forces built dozer lines east toward the Los Padres Reservoir and expanded fire lines toward Arroyo Seco, Willow Creek and Black Canyon.
Two air attacks continued to drop fire retardant on the blaze.
Meanwhile, the threat of thunderstorms and erratic winds increased the fire risk in the area.
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“Fire behavior is expected to intensify as vegetation dries out, with active burning creating a spotting potential of approximately 0.1 to 0.2 miles,” the Cal Fire report said. “All operational personnel are instructed to stay highly alert to rapid changes in weather and fire activity and to hold detailed safety briefings before going on the line.”
On Friday, the number of zones under evacuation orders with an “immediate threat to life” were increased from 11 to 14:
- MRY-D082
- MRY-D089
- MRY-D090
- MRY-D091
- MRY-F015-B
- MRY-F015-C
- MRY-F022
- MRY-F023-A
- MRY-F023-B
- MRY-F025
- MRY-F028-B
- MRY-F028-C
- MRY-F029
- MRY-F031-A
Seventeen other zones to the north and south were under evacuation warnings with a “potential threat to life.”:
- MRY-D078
- MRY-D084
- MRY-D085
- MRY-D086
- MRY-D088
- MRY-F018
- MRY-F019
- MRY-F020
- MRY-F027-A
- MRY-F027-B
- MRY-F028-A
- MRY-F028-D
- MRY-F030-A
- MRY-F030-B
- MRY-F031-B
- MRY-F032-A
- MRY-F032-B
Five areas were under shelter-in-place orders, which means those residents must be prepared to sustain themselves for seven days or leave the area.
- MRY-F021-A
- MRY-F021-B
- MRY-F024
- MRY-F026
- MRY-F027-A
A new temporary evacuation shelter will open at the Carmel Mission Inn conference room at 3665 Rio Road on Friday at 5 p.m.
Before going to the shelter, residents were advised to first call the Virtual Temporary Emergency Evacuation Point Hotline at 831-647-7760.
Plaskett Fire expands
At the southern end of the Big Sur coast, firefighters used heavy helicopters and structure defense efforts to battle the Plaskett Fire, which was most active overnight.
By Friday morning, the blaze was still 0% contained, Cal Fire said.
“Ground crews remain focused on developing and executing structure-defense plans in critical areas where the fire threatens to advance,” the Cal Fire report said.
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Dry weather also increased the risk of expanding the Plaskett Fire.
Two zones were under evacuation orders:
- MRY-F035
- MRY-F036
Three zones were under evacuation warnings:
- MRY-F033
- MRY-F034
- MRY-F037