By admin 
The Timber Fire crossed the 5,500-acre mark overnight as the fire reached the 10th day burning along the Big Sur coast.
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As of Wednesday morning, the fire had blackened 5,526 acres of Monterey County southeast of Loma Vista and the Big Sur River to Partington Ridge, while containment inched up to 24% from 21% the previous day.
The fire’s progress slowed significantly at the start of the week. As of Monday, the fire had burned 5,153 acres at 17% containment, and relatively minimal fire activity was reported overnight as containment lines held, according to Cal Fire.
The fire grew relatively little Tuesday evening along Longwood Ridge, and fire crews on the ground will be supported by helicopter water drops on Wednesday as conditions have become more favorable, according to Cal Fire.
Along the northeastern side, the fire was burning at low intensity as it backed slowly toward the Big Sur River, according to Cal Fire, while on the western side, crews continued to improve contingency lines and mop up.
Wednesday’s forecast called for high pressure that will compress the marine layer, bringing a warming and drying trend over the fire, according to Cal Fire.
The Timber Fire sparked on the night of Aug. 8 at just 4.6 acres before growing to nearly 3,000 acres within days, The Tribune previously reported. By Aug. 11, the fire had scorched more than 4,200 acres and threatened 503 structures.
A 10-mile stretch of Highway 1 remained closed on Wednesday, from mile marker 45.1 near the Big Sur Bakery to mile marker 37 at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, and homes and businesses in the area are under evacuation orders and warnings.
Those road conditions will be assessed by coordinating agencies to address utility and safety concerns, Cal Fire said.
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Where are evacuation orders in place?
As of Wednesday morning, two zones were under evacuation orders with an “immediate threat to life” within the vicinity of the blaze:
- MRY-F027
- MRY-F028-A
Eight other zones were under evacuation warnings with a “potential threat to life” to the north and south:
- MRY-F021-B
- MRY-F022
- MRY-F023
- MRY-F024
- MRY-F025
- MRY-F026
- MRY-F028-B
- MRY-F029
An evacuation shelter was available at Carmel Middle School at 4830 Carmel Valley Road in Carmel. The shelter accepts pets, but will close at noon on Wednesday.
A total of 1,894 personnel were responding to the fire as of Wednesday, around 100 fewer than the previous day, according to Cal Fire.
Cause of Timber Fire still under investigation
The cause of the wildfire remained under investigation, and authorities need help figuring out what started it.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Forest Service posted on Facebook asking for the community’s help as investigators worked to better understand the events leading up to the start of the Timber Fire.
In a post Wednesday morning, the Forest Service said Los Padres National Forest has a closure order in effect for trails and roads in the fire area.
This story was originally published August 19, 2026 at 10:44 AM with the headline “Timber Fire grows to 5,500 acres in Big Sur as containment improves.”
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