The Monterey County Sheriff's Office downgraded the Plaskett Fire evacuation order to a warning for two Big Sur zones on Friday, Sept. 11, as the nearly 30,000-acre blaze reached 83% containment.

The downgrade, effective at 2 p.m. Friday, covers zones MRY-F037-B and MRY-F038-B, according to the county's incident page. Residents in those zones no longer face a mandatory evacuation but should be prepared to leave on short notice.

A separate shelter-in-place order remains active for other zones near the fire. Residents under that order must be able to sustain themselves for at least seven days or leave immediately, according to the county's incident page.

Highway 1 still closed

A hard closure of Highway 1 remains in place between mile marker 19.0 at Kirk Creek Campground and mile marker 11.1 at Los Burros Road. No reopening date has been set. Caltrans must evaluate and clear debris before traffic can resume, KSBW reported.

The southern closure boundary was recently moved to the Highway 1 and Los Burros Road intersection.

Fire status

The Plaskett Fire, which started Aug. 27 in the Plaskett area of Big Sur, had burned 29,942 acres as of Friday. SFGate reported 83% containment, citing Bay City News; KSBW reported 79% containment the same day, citing CAL FIRE. The figures may reflect different reporting times.

Monterey County officials said overnight conditions remained favorable with no significant fire growth. Firefighters remain focused on mop-up, patrol and improving perimeter security, according to CAL FIRE.

The fire's cause remains under investigation.

Carmel Valley Library serves as evacuation resource

A virtual Temporary Evacuation Point is operating out of the Carmel Valley Branch Library from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Displaced residents can call 831-647-7760 or 800-322-6884 (press 1, then 4) for information on evacuation status, shelter referrals and other emergency assistance.

The Cambria emergency shelter has closed.

SPCA Monterey County is sheltering animals affected by the fires. Small pets are accepted at official shelter locations. Owners of horses, barn animals and livestock can call 831-373-2631 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 831-646-5534 after hours.

What's next

Officials have not confirmed when Highway 1 will reopen. A tentative Big Sur Multi-Agency Advisory Council meeting is planned for Sept. 25 to discuss fire information and potential impacts from Car Week, according to KSBW.

Residents can sign up for emergency alerts at alertmontereycounty.org and view current evacuation zones at alertmry.org/alerts.