Sonoma County firefighters work huge Carmel-area blaze

60 Sonoma County firefighters and 13 local engines are fighting the Soberanes fire, the most the county can spare.|

Efforts to battle a growing coastal wildland blaze south of Carmel involve about 60 Sonoma County firefighters and 13 local engines - the most the county can spare, given the height of the fire season and hot weather here.

The so-called Soberanes fire as of Tuesday morning had grown to almost 20,000 acres and growing as it continued to scorch coastal Monterey County hills throughout the day.

Only 10 percent contained, the fire offered tough challenges involving steep, rugged mountainsides and inaccessibility. Cal Fire officials hoped to have it contained by Aug. 5, with projections it could double in size, depending on wind, heat and the very difficult landscape.

At least 20 homes have been lost, picked off by the flames in different coast mountain communities since the fire started Friday morning.

More than 1,600 structures remained threatened and about 300 residents have evacuated.

“This is real, real tough country,” said Jack Piccinini, acting chief of Central Fire in Windsor, who is working as a Cal Fire safety officer on the blaze. Piccinini equated some of the area with the Russian River region’s steep canyons and dense growth of redwoods and brush, with similar small communities of old cabins and newer homes dotting the area.

Smoke from the fire seeped north into the Bay Area, creating hazy skies Tuesday. A Spare the Air alert was issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for Tuesday and Wednesday based on unhealthy stagnant air, high temperatures and smoke from the fire.

For the first time since Saturday, firefighting air tankers and helicopters were airborne, as fog and smoke cleared enough for safe flying, giving the crews on the ground some much-needed help, said Cal Fire Capt. Lucas Spelman.

Sonoma County sent its aid before dawn Sunday and Monday when state fire officials asked for huge amounts of help from around the state.

The county can’t afford to send any more equipment or firefighters, said Gold Ridge Fire Chief Dan George, who orchestrates the strike team deployment for the county. “We’re tapped right now.”

“We won’t send any (more) away, but if Napa had a fire or the Geysers or Marin, we’d gather our troops up and go fight local stuff. But when you start sending out that much equipment, it leaves us kind of strapped to fight our own fires,” Petaluma Battalion Chief Jeff Holden said Tuesday.

Petaluma acting Battalion Chief Chad Costa is leading a five-engine team from Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Rancho Adobe, Bennett Valley and Contra Costa County.

Costa’s team arrived early Monday and headed straight to work, stationed south of the Carmel Highlands to protect homes in case the fire took a run toward the community.

Tuesday they were on a 24-hour break, catching some sleep at Toro Park on Highway 68 near Salinas, where Cal Fire has set up headquarters.

Rancho Adobe Battalion Chief Dave Welch is leading engines from Sonoma, Forestville, Santa Rosa, Gold Ridge and Cloverdale fire agencies. Central Fire’s Battalion Chief Dave Cornelssen is leading engines from Petaluma, Valley of the Moon, Santa Rosa and two out-of-county agencies.

Those two teams worked Tuesday, with Cornelssen’s group protecting structures near Carmel Highlands. Welch’s group, which has more agile fire engines made for rough country, was in tough territory near the tiny rural community of Palo Colorado, where residents have been evacuated.

Cal Fire firefighters on the blaze from the North Bay region including Sonoma, Napa and Lake counties sent five fire engines, two dozers, 13 managers and a strike team of hand crews.

The fire started Friday morning in Garrapata State Park near Soberanes Creek on Highway 1. The cause remained under investigation.

Highway 1 remained open to traffic Tuesday but parts of roads off of the coast highway were closed in areas to allow for emergency vehicles.

Several area state parks were closed, including Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Andrew Molera State Park, according to state park officials.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rossmannreport

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