Evacuation orders remained in effect for 1,700 area homes, and residents likely would not be allowed back for several days, Florea said. "This fire siege has been going on since June 8," Florea said. "Cumulative fatigue becomes a factor."
Farther up the coast, firefighters worked on Friday to cut trees and brush away from homes and buildings in Big Sur ahead of the slow-moving Basin Complex Fire burning in the foothills above the scenic community.
The blaze, which started June 21 and has grown to more than 65,000-acres (26,000-hectares), sent a finger of flames downhill overnight toward the historic Ventana Inn before firefighters tamped it out with foam, fire information officer Rudy Evenson said on Friday.
The fire also crept up to the Pacific Coast Highway about five miles north of Big Sur on Friday but was easily doused before it crossed over, Evenson said. About 25 miles (40 kms) of the coastal highway remained shut down.
"We had a pretty good morning - it was pretty cool and quiet," Evenson said late on Friday afternoon. "It's kind of hard to say what's going to happen. The wind is definitely picking it up a little bit."
Fire crews have waged a house-to-house battle over the tree- and grass-fed Basin Complex fire, and so far have gained just 5 percent containment and did not expect to fully contain it until the end of the month.
The blaze has been burning along wind-whipped ridgetops, steadily progressing northwest toward Pico Colorado, a community of about 2,000 people who are under an evacuation advisory, Evenson said.
About 1,800 homes and businesses in Big Sur remained under a mandatory evacuation order, although Evenson said it was difficult to tell whether residents of the spread-out, remote homes had complied. The fire has destroyed about 20 homes.
Big Sur is about 140 miles (225 km) south of San Francisco.
