HUNDREDS of Californians were “caught by surprise” and forced to evacuate their homes as crews battled to contain the Big Sur wildfire.
More than 1,500 acres of the coastline have been torched since the blaze broke out in the Palo Colorado canyon range in Monterey on Friday.
Around 500 residents were forced to flee the area between Carmel and Big Sur.
They were “caught by surprise” as it’s rare that wildfires break out in January, according to Accuweather.
The blaze rapidly spread across the coastline as it was whipped by 80kph gusts.
Firefighters put out a separate five-acre fire on Geyser Park in Sonoma County where winds of 90mph were recorded.
In the Sierra Nevada mountain range, winds reached speeds of up to 141mph, while 90mph gusts were also recorded in Santa Clarita.
Cecile Juliette, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told the Associated Press: “The fire lined up with the wind and the terrain and that gave the fire a lot of energy to make a big run.
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“It’s unusual to have fire this size here on the coast at the end of January. The fact that we had fire of this size is of great concern.”
Evacuees shared pictures of raging flames burning behind the iconic Bixby Bridge – which has been the backdrop of movies and TV shows such as “Big Little Lies”.
By Saturday, the blaze had burned over 1,500 acres and on Sunday night, it was around 35 percent contained. The cause of the wildfire remains unknown.
CalFire said that the fire could be seen from Santa Cruz County – around 70 miles from Monterey County.
Around 250 firefighters are working to battle the blaze and crews are having to draft in agencies to help contain the flames.
George Nunez, a CalFire captain, told the New York Times that he normally has 17 units but it was reduced to two when the fire season ended on January 3.
He said: “Everybody says that California has a year-round fire season. And this is just part of it.”
Nunez said that the steep terrains and intense winds are making it tricky for crews.
RARE WILDFIRE
More than 30,000 people in the Golden State were without power on Sunday evening, according to PowerOutage.us.
Health officials in Monterey issued a “boil water notice” as they urged residents to drink boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking or cooking.
Officials said failure to follow the order could result in stomach or intestinal illness.
They issued the order due to potential damage to the water system infrastructure.
The Red Cross is assisting with shelter at Carmel Middle School for those who have been affected by the wildfire.
And, emergency pet supplies are also being provided at the shelter.
The fire broke out after the state saw heavy downpours in the final months of last year.
Officials at the National Weather Service’s Bay Area tweeted: “Anecdotally it seems as though the long-term drought is acting like a chronic illness where recent rains” and cold weather “isn’t helping to keep fires from developing”.
The Palo Colorado range isn’t expecting rain until February so fire crews fear the conditions will remain “ripe” for further infernos.
The NWS said a similar windy event happened almost exactly a year ago last January.
A red flag warning of extreme fire danger was issued then due to the strong winds and much drier conditions.
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