By admin 
Evacuation orders once again expanded as the Timber Fire grew to 17,817 acres by Wednesday morning — and containment dropped.
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The wildfire, which has been burning in Big Sur for over two weeks, grew nearly 2,000 acres overnight as containment on the blaze dropped from 26% to 23%, according to Cal Fire.
The inferno is pushing up against Big Sur River in the north, crossing over it in the northeast and reaching out past the south fork of the river to the southeast. The south end of the fire has reached Partington Ridge Road and Coast Ridge Road next to Longwood Creek.
Evacuation orders are in effect for eleven zones where the fire poses an “immediate threat to life,” and warnings are in place in 22 zones, a slight increase from Tuesday in both categories.
On Tuesday, active flame continued to move through steep, remote wilderness terrain in the northern and eastern areas of the fire where direct access for ground crews is limited, according to Cal Fire.
Firefighters were using natural barriers and control lines to keep the fire contained in these areas. Residents were warned of visible smoke as the fire continues to consume unburned vegetation — and some smoke migrated down into San Luis Obispo County.
On Wednesday morning, Timber Fire Operations Section Trainee Neil Gamboa gave an update on the day’s operations, noting that crews were continuing to make progress on containment efforts across multiple areas, with a primary focus on opening roads and strengthening control lines.
In the northern area of the fire, firefighters are scouting and opening roads so they can build strong “primary lines” — barriers designed to slow or stop the fire — Gamboa said.
Moving south on the east edge of the fire, multiple divisions are waiting on additional crews and equipment to open roads and build primary lines, he said.
In the south, crews are reopening roads and using old fire control lines from the 2016 Soberanes Fire, Gamboa said.
Along Indians Road, crews are working to get around a wash filled with reeds to connect gaps in the existing fire line there, he said.
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Farther south along Coast Ridge Road, heavy machinery has already opened the entire road, Gamboa said.
The fire has been slowly backing down into Pike Creek, but has shown very little movement there overnight and into the morning, he said. Crews are on site watching it closely and ready to adjust if needed, while nearby areas remain quiet with patrol and mop‑up work underway.
There is fire activity near and crossing Vitana Creek, Gamboa said. The fire moved there yesterday but has slowed this morning, and crews are monitoring the area.
Traffic delays due to road cleanup
Drivers can expect some minor traffic delays on Highway 1 on Wednesday as crews clean rock piles off the road at Torre Canyon, according to Cal Fire.
Clearing this debris will reopen roadside pullouts, restore proper drainage and prevent loose rocks from rolling into active traffic lanes, Cal Fire said.
Traffic controls will be in place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday causing delays of 10 to 15 minutes in either direction.
Where are the evacuation orders in place?
On Wednesday, eleven zones were closed to public access and under “leave now” evacuation orders:
- MRY-D082
- MRY-D089
- MRY-D090
- MRY-D091
- MRY-FO15-B
- MRY-F015-C
- MRY-FO23-B
- MRY-F028-B
- MRY-F028-C
- MRY-F029
- MRY-F031-A
Twenty-two other zones were under evacuation warnings with a “potential threat to life.” Those who require additional time to evacuate or have pets and livestock are advised to leave now:
- MRY-FO15-B
- MRY-D078
- MRY-D084
- MRY-D085
- MRY-D086
- MRY-D088
- MRY-FO-20
- MRY-F021-B
- MRY-F022
- MRY-FO23-A
- MRY-F024
- MRY-F025
- MRY-F026
- 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
This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 11:21 AM with the headline “Containment drops as Timber Fire grows to nearly 18,000 acres in Big Sur.”
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