Big Sur Willow Fire Roars To 2,000 Acres, Completely Uncontained
A wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest near Big Sur has roared to 2,000 acres and is zero percent contained.
The raging blaze has forced the evacuation of a campground in the national forest and some 300 people from the well-known Tassajara Zen Center.
The fire erupted Thursday night in the Ventana Wilderness section of the national forest south of Monterey, according to the incident report of the U.S. Forest Service. It surged through parched chaparral, grass and scrub on steep slopes in record temperatures and an unending drought. Aircraft are dropping water and fire retardant to aid firefighters battling the blaze amid difficult terrain.
The #WillowFire is at 2,000 acres with zero percent containment. Continuing hot & dry weather conditions with an increase in winds. Winds out of the west are pushing the fire towards Tassajara Zen Center & Hot Springs. Over 300 personnel on the fire. https://t.co/CXQ9PetVeipic.twitter.com/lE1EuYyE6P
— Los Padres NF (@LosPadresNF) June 19, 2021
Though the zen center has been largely evacuated, no buildings were burned. Members of the center’s fire crew stayed behind, prepared to battle the fire with its sprinkler system — which it calls “Dharma rain.”
“Our water supplies are good and we are well prepared for this situation,” said Sozan Miglioli, president of San Francisco Zen Center, which operates the Tassajara monastery.
“Tassajara has been working on special fire prep projects during the pandemic shutdown, and the fire crew has been in place and training for several months. Right now there are four engines at Tassajara (two from CalFire and two from the Forest Service). They are helping our Fire Team to prep,” Miglioli added in a statement.
The blaze was moving closer to the center Saturday night.
fire crews stationed at Tassajara Zen Ctr (not sure how many), both to protect structures *and* to prevent fire getting to/moving down Tassajara Rd, which w/b tough to stop#willowfire is in area not burned since '77; parts of Tassajara Rd haven't burned since 1928!
— Tassajara Fire Watch (@CVFireWatch) June 20, 2021
The Willow Fire in California’s Monterey County grew to 2,000 acres as of Saturday, burning in steep, rugged terrain only accessible by foot, according to authorities. Some residents in the nearby areas have been evacuated, while others are under evacuation warnings. pic.twitter.com/AhRy11K4rw
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 20, 2021
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.