On Saturday, firefighters battled a wildfire that erupted in the rocky mountains of Big Sur, in California, causing hundreds of inhabitants to flee and officials to close the area’s major road.
The fire started in a steep canyon on Friday night and soon spread to the sea, fueled by high winds of up to 50 mph (80 kph). According to Cecile Juliette, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the inferno burnt at least 2.3 square miles (6 square kilometres) of brush and redwood trees.
“The fire aligned with the wind and the terrain, giving it a lot of energy to make a large run,” she added on Saturday.
Authorities contacted approximately 500 residents in the thinly inhabited area between Carmel and Big Sur, advising them to evacuate. By Saturday evening, more than 250 firefighters from various agencies and volunteer groups had confined around 20% of the flames with the help of water-dropping planes.
“The winds have died down, which has helped us,” she explained.
Authorities have closed a section of Highway 1 with no projected reopening time. The two-lane route in Big Sur is prone to closures due to fires, and mudslides caused by heavy rain last year and in 2017 caused segments of the road to collapse.
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