Big Sur resort owners and staff kept their doors open inside active evacuation zones to feed, shelter and supply the thousands of firefighters battling the Timber and Plaskett fires.

At Treebones Resort, about a mile north of Gorda on Highway 1, a skeleton crew stayed on the property after it closed to the public. Tim Heist, part of that crew, told KAZU on Friday, Sept. 11, that the team kept coffee and towels flowing for firefighters, many of whom walked the grounds in sandals after 12- or 16-hour shifts. The resort also offered free showers and let fire crews fill trucks from its well.

Staff were mostly living out of their cars.

"And they're always very, very thankful. And I'm like, 'No, thank you.' We're able to do this because the fire got fought," Heist told KAZU.

Heist described ash raining down and burnt leaves falling everywhere during the worst of the Plaskett Fire. The pool filled with dirt. He said he was ready to leave if flames crested the hill but had no plans to go before that.

Twenty-six miles south of Carmel, in the heart of Big Sur, Carol Shadwell kept Ripplewood Resort running through the Timber Fire. Her grandparents bought the property in the 1950s. Shadwell extended the resort's general store hours to accommodate firefighters and rented rooms at a discount.

"It's my home. I haven't left my home," Shadwell told KAZU on Sept. 4.

Residents also shared hand-drawn maps with fire crews, pointing out structures, wells and streams missing from official maps. Andrew Madsen, a public affairs officer with the U.S. Forest Service, told KAZU that thousands of firefighters from almost every state and the U.S. Virgin Islands were working the Big Sur fires.

As of Sept. 10, more than 2,500 firefighters were battling the two blazes, and three had been injured on the Timber Fire, according to KSBW.

As of Friday, Sept. 11, the Timber Fire stood at 25,420 acres and 27% contained, while the Plaskett Fire reached 29,942 acres and 79% contained, according to CAL FIRE figures reported by KSBW. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office downgraded the evacuation order for Zone MRY-F037-B to a warning the same day.

Highway 1 in the Plaskett Fire area remained closed from Mile Marker 19 near Kirk Creek Campground to Los Burros Road at Mile Marker 11.1. No reopening date had been confirmed because debris-clearing work remained as of Sept. 11, according to KSBW.

Treebones Resort planned to welcome guests back later in September once Highway 1 reopens. A tentative Big Sur Multi-Agency Advisory Council meeting is set for Friday, Sept. 25.

Residents can register for emergency alerts at alertmontereycounty.org. The Community Foundation for Monterey County activated its Fire Relief Fund at give.cfmco.org/firerelief. SPCA Monterey County is sheltering animals affected by the fires and can be reached at 831-373-2631.