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Firefighters continued battling the Timber Fire in Big Sur on Friday morning as the wildfire grew to more than 4,500 acres, forcing evacuations and threatening hundreds of structures in the Central Coast wilderness.
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The Timber Fire started as a 4.6-acre wildfire on Saturday night, but quickly exploded to thousands of acres in the following days. As of Friday morning, the fire had burned about 4,545 acres, according to Cal Fire.
While the fire grew by approximately 300 acres since Wednesday, containment remained at a steady 7% thanks to the efforts of more than 1,800 firefighters working to battle the blaze.
Containment remains steady as Timber Fire acreage grows in Big Sur
In its Friday morning update, Cal Fire said fire personnel had completed work on a containment line running from DeAngulo Ridge to Partington Road, and on a second containment line from the Coast Ridge Trail southeast toward Highway 1.
Cal Fire confirmed that the blaze had jumped across the Pine Ridge Trail system and was running toward the Big Sur River, but efforts were in place to prevent the flames from spreading across the waterway.
“The fire remains to the south of the Big Sur River, which is a key containment objective,” Cal Fire said. “Dozer and handline have been completed to ensure that containment remains secure.”
The wildfire continued to threaten at least 503 structures as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire, and parts of Big Sur remained under evacuation orders or warnings.
Additionally, a section of Highway 1 remained closed Friday morning for public and firefighter safety, Los Padres National Forest said in a Facebook post. The closure began at mile marker 45.1 near the Big Sur Bakery on the north, and at mile marker 37 at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on the south.
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The Forest Service reminded residents near the blaze to “remain vigilant, stay informed, and follow all evacuation orders and warnings.”
Weather in the region was expected to be cool and wet on the coastal side of the fire, while the inland areas were expected to be hotter and drier on Friday.
Timber Fire in Big Sur forces evacuations
Residents of Big Sur were forced to evacuate as a result of the blaze, while others were under evacuation warnings as of Friday morning.
Cal Fire reported that zones under evacuation orders included:
- MRY-FO23
- MRY-F025
- MRY-F026
- MRY-F027
- MRY-F028-A
Zones under evacuation warnings included:
- MRY-FO21-B
- MRY-FO22
- MRY-F024
- MRY-F028-B
- MRY-FO29
Carmel Middle School, located at 4380 Carmel Valley Road, was serving as a temporary evacuation center for impacted families.
Additionally, a community meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday at the Big Sur River Inn at 46800 Highway 1. Technology permitting, the meeting was slated to be livestreamed on Los Padres National Forest’s Facebook page, Cal Fire said.
“Community members are encouraged to attend for the latest information and updates,” Cal Fire said. “Please share this information with friends, family and neighbors in the Big Sur community.”
This story was originally published August 14, 2026 at 10:42 AM with the headline “Timber Fire burns more than 4,500 acres in Big Sur wilderness. See latest update.”
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