Road Reopened as Big Sur Fire Is Kept at Bay

California Highway 1 was reopened here Sunday as firefighters continued to gain the upper hand on a two-day-old wildfire that charred 668 acres of the nearby Los Padres National Forest and Ventana Wilderness.

The fire began Friday atop a ridge about a mile from Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park and eventually forced the evacuation of campgrounds, restaurants and 25 homes, said Joanna Guttman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

The California Highway Patrol closed 25 miles of the winding Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur early Saturday, but reopened the road about noon Sunday, and residents were allowed to return to their homes and businesses.

A sense of relief pervaded the nearby Nepenthe Restaurant, known for its majestic Big Sur views.

“We’ve been through it before . . . [but] this was probably one of the scariest because it was close enough to be seen from our front deck,” said Pat Dotson, a bookkeeper at the restaurant.

“We’re fine. We’re doing A-OK,” Lisa Mitchell, manager of the Ventana Inn, said Sunday as a steady stream of guests continued to check in.

The all-day evacuation Saturday was the first time the inn had been evacuated in its 21 years of business, Mitchell said, adding: “I think we’re in total safety here now.”

Before the two latest blazes, Monterey County’s last major wildfire was the Marble Cone, which burned 178,000 acres in 1977.

Many of the 1,000 firefighters battling this weekend’s blaze had transferred from another arson-sparked Big Sur fire about 30 miles to the south. That fire scorched about 2,600 acres before it was contained Tuesday.

Los Padres National Forest officials said the blaze was 80% contained, with full containment expected early tonight. Its cause remained under investigation.