A wildfire that erupted in a scenic stretch of California's central coastline late Sunday night has destroyed at least 15 homes and forced many residents to evacuate, county and fire officials said.
The fire in Big Sur - the stunning, mountainous region south of the Monterey Peninsula that reaches into the Los Padres National Forest - grew to 550 acres by late Monday afternoon.
Some 300 firefighters were battling the blaze by Monday afternoon and more were expected to arrive on the scene by nightfall, Madsen said.
Four air tankers and four helicopters were dropping fire retardant on the flames from above, but the fire had remained entirely uncontained, Madsen said.
"This is an area that hasn't burned in quite a while and there's a real buildup of dead and decadent vegetation," Madsen said. He said strong gusts of wind overnight caused the fire to spread and the area's steep terrain has hindered fire crews from digging containment lines.
Between 15 and 20 homes have been claimed by the fire and residences along Pfeiffer Ridge Road and Sycamore Canyon Road were evacuated overnight, said Monterey County spokeswoman Maia Carroll. It was not immediately clear how many homes were threatened or evacuated.
Source: Reuters
