‘One way in and one way out’ : Big Sur’s wildfire preparedness is as challenging and unique as the area itself

Big Sur residents this winter got a sneak preview of what may come with the Colorado Fire, which started Jan. 21. It burned 687 acres near Bixby Bridge, threatened 225 structures and destroyed one in the Palo Colorado neighborhood before being contained Feb. 5.

“With climate change, we’re the canary in the coal mine,” Butch Kronlund, executive director of the Community Association of Big Sur, told SFGATE. “Our fire return interval is three or four times of what it used to be and now we’re somewhere in a three-year drought. We are conscious and concerned and ready … for a wildland fire.”

The response to the Colorado Fire, officials said, was swift, and the weather and winds worked in their favor when it came to containment. But lessons were learned that will carry over as woodland fire danger reaches its apex in the summer and early fall months.

The first one is that Big Sur isn’t quite like any other community, and that poses unique challenges.

First off, it is actually geographically big. The area is unofficially anchored by a village with a handful of businesses, including a post office, a general store and riverfront restaurant, but the entire unincorporated region stretches 71 miles on California’s state Route 1, between Malpaso Creek in the north and San Carpoforo Creek Beach in the south.

Those tasked with protecting Big Sur’s 1,700 residents — sprinkled in the most densely forested, hard-to-get-to homes in the region — have multiple challenges.

“Each of these little enclaves is unique,” Matt Harris, fire chief of the all-volunteer Big Sur Fire, told SFGATE. “We are aware of different hazard zones and the differences between people in their own right. We have people who have taken up residence in areas that are extremely hazardous. And we have our elderly residents who may require special services and care.

“We say look out for each other and account for each other. We are aware of who’s out there, of the challenges. That’s why it’s about education and messaging — planning for the uncertain.”

Fire preparedness in Big Sur, in other words, is a bespoke business.

While state fire officials say that Big Sur can use lessons learned from other recent blazes, like 2018’s Camp Fire in Paradise or last summer’s Caldor Fire in Eldorado National Forest at the doorstep of the Tahoe Basin, they acknowledge Big Sur is its own thing.

“All communities are unique … but Big Sur presents many challenges,” Cal Fire battalion chief of communications Isaac Sanchez said, just before making a wildfire presentation in Big Sur on May 4. “Fortunately, the community is active and responsive and educated.”

This sentiment was echoed by officials in Big Sur, as well as Cal Fire director Joe Tyler. “More than 1,200 acres of vegetation were treated as part of the Palo Colorado community fuel break and Monterey County fire prevention and tree mortality project,” Tyler said on May 4. “Proactive efforts, such as this, are a significant benefit to the community in slowing the spread of wildfire. This success story is a result of the cooperation of communities working together with stakeholders to reduce fire danger in the area.”

Even with constant fuel reduction efforts and a neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan in place, when the next big catastrophic fire event comes to Big Sur, officials acknowledge everything can get thrown out the window.

“Most of the time, people will want to stay and defend their properties,” said fire chief Harris. “Some people aren’t going to leave, they’re going to stay and fight during the initial attack. If we get in there and it’s just too dangerous and essentially ordering them out of there, egress does become an issue we have to gain control of a road immediately, we do try to gain control of them, because the worst thing is someone trying to evacuate and a fire engine trying to go down or up and the road becomes too narrow and a burnover happens.”

According to the community association’s Kronlund, people in “crunch time” tend to stray from the plan. That can spell disaster, which is why organizations like his continue to “emphasize the basics,” even recently securing funding for a full-time fire adaptive community coordinator who will focus on continuing year-round education and defensible space efforts.

“In most of our enclaves, it’s one way in and one way out, and many areas have a box canyon effect,” Kronlund said.  “Virtually every neighborhood has narrow access roads — one car going down and one going up. Something’s got to give.”

In the Colorado Fire, a seemingly small blaze quickly escalated due to the combination of hazardous conditions and a difficult-to-access neighborhood. Investigators “determined the cause of the Colorado Fire in Palo Colorado Canyon to be hot embers from a pile burning operation. High winds blew the embers onto nearby vegetation, which ignited the fire,” Cal Fire officials wrote in a Jan. 25 release.

Though investigators did not reveal the identity or address of the individual who decided to do a burn on the dry, windy winter day (offshore winds gusted at 50 miles per hour on Jan. 21), fire officials said the evacuation of Palo Colorado Road was the right idea and immediate action is something all Big Sur residents should become comfortable with.

“We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario,” Sanchez said. “Firefighters are on the ground and they are trained and aggressively attack and mitigate and that includes getting people in both urban and unincorporated areas to safety.”

To help solve for the logistical task of letting every individual resident know the ins and outs of their twisty, windy streets, fire chief Harris says communication is key. It’s why the fire department puts out a monthly newsletter that focuses on specific challenges by area, as well as reminding residents of general best practices for defensible space and fire preparedness.

The fire department’s annual fundraiser, set for July 9, is also a community awareness event. Along with a barbecue and games at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, part of the day is spent looking at a map and talking to individuals about how to make a plan that’s specific to them, Harris said.

“If there’s a fire at the front end of the canyon, it’s difficult for people to get out. It’s incumbent on the residential community to work together,” Kronlund concluded. “Straight up: We’ve had a lot of experience with fires, there’s a heightened level of awareness. A lot of energy is being put into fire preparedness. In Big Sur, it’s not if, but when, and we’re taking this very seriously.”