Big Sur is on fire.
Don’t come to Big Sur.
Highway 1 is the only road in or out. Every car that drives down to look is one more vehicle between an engine and the fire, on a road with nowhere to pull over. Give it to the crews and the people who live here.
- Check your zone above — a warning means pack and be ready, an order means go now
- Register for county alerts; this map follows them, it does not replace them
- Leave early if you have animals, a trailer, or anyone slow to move
- Keep Highway 1 clear for engines coming up from the south
- Don’t. Not to look, not to photograph, not to “just drive past”
- Cancel Big Sur plans and go north — Carmel, Pacific Grove and Monterey are open
- Never stop on Highway 1 for a picture of smoke; there is nowhere to pull over
- Drones ground the air attack. Flying one near a fire is a federal crime
Evacuation zones come from the CalOES statewide feed, the same source the evacuation apps read, and refresh every 3 minutes. They are the Sheriff's wording, shown as issued. The shaded fire area is where MODIS and VIIRS satellites detected heat, not an official fire line — the real edge will differ, and an unshaded road is not a safe one. Acreage and containment come from CAL FIRE. Official perimeters, once flown, come from NIFC. For evacuation orders always follow CAL FIRE and Monterey County alerts, and read BigSurKate for the local picture.