CA: Basin fire, July 8

Firefighters are making progress with the firing operations on the north and south sides. The mandatory evacuation for the Big Sur valley will be lifted at 10 a.m. today, Tuesday. This is very positive news for the residents who have been out of their homes for quite some time. The fire is 80,474 acres and is 18% contained.

North side-
The firing along Mescal Ridge for the last 36 hours has gone well. There were a few slop-overs but they were contained. As of late yesterday it was almost tied in with the Old Coast Road.

South side-
The firing along the dozer line down Dolan ridge from the North Coast Ridge Trail towards the Square Black Rock south of Esalen is almost complete. They worked downhill yesterday until reaching the marine layer, when the relative humidity was too high to support the firing. The control line is still about 2 miles from reaching the Indians fire in the Rodeo Flats Trail area.

East side-
On the northeast corner the fire has reached Uncle Sam Mountain. It was quite active in the Deer Pasture area 5 miles south of Tassajara.

The map is current as of 1900 on Monday.