LOS ANGELES — A wildfire that broke out north of Big Sur and forced roughly 500 people from their homes amid high winds Friday night has not burned as many acres as officials initially feared.
The rare January brush fire ignited near Palo Colorado Road and canyon in Monterey County around 5 p.m. Friday. The blaze whipped through the area overnight, fanned by high offshore winds burning in dry vegetation, according to meteorologist Brooke Bingaman with the National Weather Service’s Monterey office.
After growing to 100 acres in a few hours Friday, officials estimated the blaze had swelled to 1,500 acres by Saturday morning after crossing Highway 1 and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate.
