Highway 1 reopened Monday, Sept. 14, between mile marker 11.1 and mile marker 19.0 through Big Sur, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office announced at 6 a.m.
The stretch near Kirk Creek Campground had been closed after the Plaskett Fire started Thursday, Aug. 27, in the Plaskett area of Big Sur. The reopening ends more than two weeks of detours for residents and travelers on the coastal route.
The Sheriff's Office also announced that evacuation warnings for five zones have been fully lifted and those areas returned to normal status. The cleared zones are MRY-F037-A, MRY-F037-B, MRY-F038-A, MRY-F038-B and MRY-F039.
Three other zones still carry evacuation warnings. Zones MRY-F034, MRY-F035 and MRY-F036 were downgraded Monday from evacuation orders to warnings.
The fire had burned 29,942 acres and reached 79% containment as of Friday, Sept. 11, according to KSBW. An updated containment figure was not available Monday.
As recently as Sept. 11, officials had said no reopening date was confirmed because debris-clearing work remained. The Monday announcement did not specify whether the reopened stretch carries any traffic restrictions.
The progress marks a shift from earlier in the fire. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira cautioned on KAZU on Sept. 9, when containment stood at 61%, that residents should stay alert. "I don't want people to get overconfident or rest on their laurels … Folks in the area that could be affected by these fires still should remain ready to go," Silveira said.
Commander Andres Rosas of the Monterey County Sheriff's Office is the media contact for the Plaskett Fire and can be reached at 831-261-5492.
Residents can check their evacuation zone status at AlertMRY.org/Map.
