{"id":47104,"date":"2026-08-15T18:22:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T13:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=47104"},"modified":"2026-08-15T18:22:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T13:22:41","slug":"relentless-cycle-of-disaster-has-big-sur-in-crisis-again-you-really-have-to-fight-to-be-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=47104","title":{"rendered":"Relentless cycle of disaster has Big Sur in crisis again: &#8216;You really have to fight to be here&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/9af40e1\/2147483647\/strip\/false\/crop\/1024x768+0+0\/resize\/1024x768!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa6%2F3e%2F731ef56543ed9095e347f75e47f4%2Ftimber-fire-02.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>Few places have been more thoroughly battered by the force of climate change and Mother Nature than Big Sur.<\/p>\n<p>Epic rains triggered landslides that closed Highway 1 into the famed coastal enclave for three years.<\/p>\n<p>It reopened to much celebration in January. But a 10-mile stretch of Highway 1 is again closed because of a fast-moving fire threatening local landmarks, leaving Big Sur residents both on edge and frustrated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are really in a recovery year, going from surviving to thriving, so it\u2019s a bit of a kick in the teeth when you hit this kind of hiccup,\u201d said Kirk Gafill, who owns the popular Nepenthe restaurant on the picturesque coastal road.<\/p>\n<p>The fire comes as Big Sur is trying to recover from the economic losses of being cut off for so long.<\/p>\n<p>Locals were anticipating the busiest summer in years. Restaurants were packed with diners and hotels were fully booked with tourists looking to soak in the region\u2019s misty redwood forests and dramatic ocean views. <\/p>\n<p>Then, the Timber fire exploded. It started over the weekend in the Los Padres National Forest near Loma Vista and has charred more than 3,700 acres as of Wednesday, threatening homes and businesses. <\/p>\n<p>Big Sur has faced a relentless cycle of natural disasters over the past decade including destructive wildfires, mudflows, rockslides and coastal erosion that threatens its steep and fragile landscape and has isolated the iconic destination. <\/p>\n<p>In the summer of 2016, <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-central-coast-20170525-htmlstory.html\">the Soberanes fire<\/a> burned more than 130,000 acres north of Big Sur, destroying dozens of homes and forcing evacuations. In 2017, heavy rains caused consecutive disasters with the collapse of the  Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge and a major landslide near Mud Creek that <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/la-me-big-sur-isolation-app-20170326-story.html\">left residents cut off for months<\/a> as the California Department of Transportation made repairs. <\/p>\n<p>Most recently, a series of atmospheric river storms in January 2023 triggered a major landslide that <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2023-11-18\/we-had-a-plan-and-then-things-kept-moving-battered-yet-enduring-highway-one-remains-closed\">initiated a nearly three-year closure <\/a>of Highway 1. Repairs were delayed by <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2024-03-31\/landslide-erodes-part-of-highway-1-near-big-sur-closing-roadway\">additional slides<\/a> in the years that followed. <\/p>\n<p>For those who make a living in tourism, the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-08-10\/timber-fire-big-sur-evacuations-nepenthe-alila-ventana\">Timber fire<\/a> marks nature\u2019s latest blow to the beloved, yet often plagued, coastal locale. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou really have to fight to be here,\u201d said Melissa Morris, a third-generation Big Surian. \u201cYou have to be able to kind of withstand all of the things that happen.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>On Sunday evening, Gafill watched from Nepenthe\u2019s front deck as the fire burned over the ridge line across Highway 1, flames licking down gullies and ravines as it consumed all the lush fuel in its path. The trees went up like roman candles, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was quite dramatic,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>More than 900 firefighters, 36 engines, six water tenders, seven dozers, 26 hand crews and six helicopters are assigned to the blaze. Authorities are still investigating what sparked the fire, which was only 5% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. <\/p>\n<p>Early Wednesday, fire crews prioritized protecting structures as the inferno charged toward Highway 1. On the north and west sides of the blaze, bulldozers and ground crews built defensive lines to impede the fire\u2019s spread. The east side of the fire \u2014 located in dense wilderness \u2014 is most active and firefighters are trying to find safe ways to get it under control, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>While more than 500 structures are threatened by the fire, none have been damaged or destroyed. <\/p>\n<p>Many residents\u2019 view of the blaze in recent days has been obstructed by the marine layer, which has provided some much-needed moisture for fire crews. Still, at higher elevations, the humidity is much lower and the winds are more pronounced, conditions that can bedevil firefighters. <\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, locals were hoping that thunderstorms in the forecast would help firefighters\u2019 efforts. While moisture is beneficial during a fire, lightning strikes on dry brush can trigger spot fires that pull resources away from the larger blaze. <\/p>\n<p>While Gafill is hopeful that the fire won\u2019t get close to his restaurant, which has been in his family for decades, he\u2019s grappling with a loss of thousands of dollars for each day he\u2019s closed. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe live in paradise,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, we live in one of the most extraordinary parts of the world and fire is one of the realities of being here, but it\u2019s not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s not just people who have dealt with fallout from the fire. <\/p>\n<p>Two California condors recovering from lead poisoning were briefly stranded this week after the fire engulfed the road to the Ventana Wildlife Society\u2019s Discovery Center where they were recuperating. But a Cal Fire firefighter stepped in on Tuesday, escorting a staff member to the property so she could release the critically endangered birds back into the wild. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is condor conservation as a team effort, and we are grateful beyond words,\u201d the society wrote in a Facebook post, alongside a video of the birds taking flight. <\/p>\n<p>Families who have lived in Big Sur for generations have come to expect their share of curveballs, particularly as climate change has accelerated rapid swings between intensely wet and dangerously dry weather. But it comes at a time when the small community is also dealing with a lack of affordable housing, limited traffic capacity and <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/travel\/story\/2026-06-04\/highway-1-big-sur-summer-crowds\">years of diminished tourism.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s difficult for the folks in Big Sur, I think today, are the changing dynamics that people are experiencing all over California that are magnified here,\u201d said Supervisor Kate Daniels, who represents the region. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople who successfully live in Big Sur can handle these crises. It\u2019s when they\u2019re compounded with other things that it becomes exceedingly difficult,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>When evacuation warnings started rolling in on Monday, Morris, who manages Glen Oaks Big Sur, spent the day explaining the situation to guests at the property and those who had reservations in the coming days. Some visitors left immediately, but others who had one more day left of their vacations opted to stay until Tuesday morning, she said.<\/p>\n<p>The boutique resort, nestled among the soaring redwood trees near the Big Sur River on Highway 1, was completely booked. Summer is generally the region\u2019s busiest season, but the demand has seemed even higher this year following the lengthy Highway 1 closure. <\/p>\n<p>Now cancellations are rolling in, Morris said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just for today, tomorrow and the weekend, but next week and the week after because people are hearing about the fire and they don\u2019t know how long it\u2019s going to last,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is definitely going to hurt.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Few places have been more thoroughly battered by the force of climate change and Mother Nature than Big Sur. Epic rains triggered landslides that closed Highway 1 into the famed coastal enclave for three years. It reopened to much celebration in January. But a 10-mile stretch of Highway 1 is again closed because of a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/21ded65\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1024x538+0+115\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa6%2F3e%2F731ef56543ed9095e347f75e47f4%2Ftimber-fire-02.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}