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Big Sur Fire Forces Evacuation of Scenic Coastal Area

July 3, 2008 at 1:00 PM | 0 Comments

It's not going to be a very happy Fourth of July weekend for anyone in the Big Sur area or anyone headed there. A slow-growing fire has been waging war on the scenic coastal region for nearly 12 days. On Tuesday, things got much worse, prompting a major evacuation.

The New York Times paints a picture of the scene:

Yellow smoke and ash mixed in the air as a procession of possession-laden cars, trucks and vans streamed north out of town. Horses, goats, cats and dogs were also being trucked out by animal welfare workers, as helicopters ferried back and forth to the ocean, drawing out water to dump on smoldering hillsides east of town

Aside from residents and local businesses being evacuated, hotels in the area--many of which are posh eco-friendly getaways--are evacuating as well. HotelChatter has the scoop on which hotels have closed down and relocated guests.

We're actually supposed to head to Carmel tomorrow, and we're feeling a little dicey about that. We definitely won't be riding on Highway 1 as about 30 miles of the road is closed to traffic.

If you're headed to Big Sur this weekend, you probably should reconsider. If you're heading to Big Sur next week or in the coming weeks, keep checking on your hotel reservation to see what's been shut down and what's reopened after the blaze.

Related Stories:
· California Fires Prompt Evacuations [NYT]
· California Travel coverage [Jaunted]

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