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The closure of
the highway, which runs along much of the Pacific coastline and
is famed for its dramatic ocean views, was prompted by an
increase in fire and wind activity in the Big Sur area, the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
The road was expected to be closed to traffic in both directions
from 10 p.m. Pacific time on Monday (0500 GMT Tuesday) until at
least 6 p.m. on Tuesday (0100 GMT Wednesday), depending on
conditions, the department said.
The so-called Soberanes Fire, which has destroyed 57 homes and
11 outbuildings, has been burning since July 22. A bulldozer
operator died on July 26 when his tractor rolled over as he
helped property owners battle the blaze, becoming the sixth
wildfire fatality in California this year.
Authorities have traced origins of the blaze to an illegal
campfire left unattended in a state park about a mile from
Highway 1. No arrests have so far been made.
As of Monday, the more than 5,000 firefighters battling the
flames had cut containment lines around 45 percent of its
perimeter.
Firefighters are making gradual but steady progress against the
blaze as wildfire season in the western United States reaches
its traditional peak, intensified by prolonged drought and
extreme summer heat across the region.
The conflagration near Big Sur is one of 35 major wildfires that
have charred half a million acres in 12 states, mostly in the
West, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in
Boise, Idaho.
A blaze that erupted on Sunday in San Bernardino County, east of
Los Angeles, had scorched some 4,500 acres of dry timber and
brush within 24 hours and was only about 5 percent contained,
officials said. That fire, called the Pilot Fire, had not
destroyed any homes as of Monday afternoon but residents of
about 25 homes along two major highways were ordered to
evacuate.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; editing by Grant McCool)
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