The Timber Fire burning along the Big Sur coastline reached 88% containment as of Monday, Sept. 28, a 29-percentage-point jump from Friday, according to KSBW, which first reported the update.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted evacuation warnings for 11 zones on Monday, returning them to normal status: MRY-D078, MRY-D085, MRY-D086, MRY-D089, MRY-D090, MRY-D091, MRY-F014, MRY-F015-A, MRY-F020, MRY-F029 and MRY-F031-A.
Several evacuation orders and at least one warning remain in effect for the Timber Fire. Officials have not announced a timeline for lifting the remaining restrictions.
The fire, which started Aug. 8, has burned approximately 25,350 acres in Monterey County near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and the Ventana Wilderness. It is managed under a unified command involving Los Padres National Forest, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office and California Interagency Incident Management Team 6.
Crews shift to suppression repair
No new fire spread is anticipated.
CAL FIRE reported that suppression repair is underway along the southern fire line on Coast Ridge Road into the Logwood Creek drainage. Hand crews and heavy equipment are making progress on the eastern side, and crews continue to patrol Highway 1.
Infrared flights detected no heat along the fire's northern lines. Three heat signatures were found well within containment lines near Manuel Peak and Double Cone and were addressed with helicopter water drops, according to a CAL FIRE update reported by KSBW.
Command of the Timber Fire was scheduled to transfer to Nevada Team 2 on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m., according to the CAL FIRE incident page.
Plaskett Fire nears full containment
About 20 miles south, the Plaskett Fire reached 99% containment as of Monday, Sept. 28, after burning more than 30,000 acres across Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties along the Highway 1 corridor near the Nacimiento River.
No evacuation orders or warnings remain for the Plaskett Fire.
CAL FIRE said suppression repair was progressing on all fire lines with no fire spread anticipated. Command of the Plaskett Fire was scheduled to transfer back to Los Padres National Forest on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Forest closure remains in effect
A U.S. Forest Service emergency closure order for the Monterey Ranger District remains in effect through Sunday, Jan. 31, 2027. The order restricts public access to designated National Forest roads, trails and lands in three areas: the Main Emergency Closure Area, Brazil Ranch Emergency Closure Area and Carmel River Station Emergency Closure Area.
Residents can check current evacuation zone status at AlertMRY.org/Map.
