Louis Ewing, who works for a South Dakota structure protection company, slathers a home in a fire retardant as fire jumped the lines near the Ventana Inn and Spa in Big Sur. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Kirk Gafill, general manager of Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur, shows the webcam he uses to show viewers that the restaurant is still standing despite the numerous threats during the Basin Complex fire, which has come to within half a mile of his restaurant. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
The landmark restaurant Nepenthe, perched on a cliff above the Big Sur coast, was threatened by fires that came within half a mile of it. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
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Fire burns north along Highway 1 near Big Sur. Authorities said the Basin Complex fire was 41% contained Friday. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Manager and bartender Craig Allan, center, of the Maiden Public House along Highway 1 in Big Sur talks with a neighbor and a journalist covering the fire at his bar. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters work to protect the Ventana Inn and Spa in Big Sur. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Jonathan Farrington, general manager of the Ventana Inn and Spa in Big Sur, grabs a firehose to help protect the resort. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
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General Manager Janet Lesniak of the River Inn was happy to be back in her home and workplace along Highway 1in Big Sur. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Ned Callihan, architect and member of Coast Property Owners Assn., passed out checks to residents in need of financial help. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Heavy smoke and clouds blanket the coast shore near Big Sur after several weeks of fires burning in the Los Padres National Forest. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
