Monterey County Crews Increase Containment On River, Carmel, Dolan Fires
MONTEREY COUNTY (CBS SF) -- Fire officials in Monterey County finally reported continued progress Tuesday evening as containment on the River, Carmel and Dolan Fires continued to increase.
The Carmel Fire, which has been burning for six days, has stayed at the same size as it was Tuesday night at 6,695 acres, but firefighters increased containment to 40 percent.
The River Fire, which has been burning for eight days, has also stayed the same at 48,424 acres and is 33 percent contained. Last night, the fire was 43 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
The fires have not spread outside of the containment areas, but unburned vegetation inside the area will continue to burn, so smoke and flames will still be able to be seen.
As a result of the effective containment and cooperating weather, some evacuation orders and warnings were lifted Monday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.
However, the fires have not calmed down without leaving some destruction in the county. The River Fire has damaged eight structures and destroyed eight others. An additional 13 other minor structures were destroyed, and one was damaged.
The inspection for damage assessment is nearly 52 percent complete, according to Cal Fire, so that number may increase.
The Carmel Fire, though significantly smaller, has destroyed and damaged more structures. The toll rose to 50 residences destroyed and an additional seven have been damaged. In terms of other minor structures, 16 have been destroyed and seven have been damaged. Damage inspection in the fire area is 54 percent complete.
Meanwhile, the Dolan Fire burning in Big Sur, the one major fire in the county that is not a Cal Fire incident, has grown to over 20,000 acres and is 13 percent contained. The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. The coastal habitat for endangered species like the California condor is also threatened.
Evacuation centers that assist residents with a variety of resources are open at the King City branch library and the Monterey Conference Center.
Evacuation shelters remain open for affected county residents at Carmel Middle School and Salinas Valley Fairgrounds. Evacuees can also visit
MontereyCo.recovers.org or call 211 for information or assistance.
For more information on evacuation zones, people can visit the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services website. For assistance with animal evacuations, residents can call (831) 264-5455. County residents can also register for evacuation alerts by visiting AlertMontereyCounty.org.
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