Three Montecito County fires near Big Sur have burned nearly 60,000 acres
Three fires across Mendocino County grew to a combined 59,214 acres by Saturday afternoon as firefighters worked to establish containment lines.
The most recent is the Lucas fire, which started Thursday morning near Bachelor Valley on the border of Lake County and Mendocino County. Fueled by northwest winds, it reached 3,846 acres by noon Saturday with 15% containment, according to Cal Fire.
The largest is the Plaskett fire, which started Aug. 26. As of Saturday, it had burned 29,942 acres, closing sections of Highway 1. Despite steep, rugged terrain making operations difficult, firefighters have reached 83% containment.
Nearby, the Timber fire has been burning for over a month. It started Aug. 8 and had grown to 25,426 acres by Saturday with 27% containment.
Multiple state parks are closed as a result of the fires, including Pfeiffer Big Sur and Andrew Molera. The Timber fire also led to the closure of businesses such as the Big Sur River Inn and the popular scenic restaurant Nepenthe, which claimed it was losing more than $70,000 per day while closed. Both spots have since reopened.
L.A. has also had a handful of smaller fires in recent weeks, including the Getty fire, which burned 25 acres in Brentwood on Wednesday, leading to evacuations and the closure of the Getty Center. The museum reopened on Friday, and the fire was 90% contained by Saturday.
