Wildfires Still Out of Control Near Big Sur
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MONTEREY — Wildfires continued to rage out of control near California’s rugged Big Sur coast Friday, scorching more than 15,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of a tiny resort community.
The U.S. Forest Service said more than 1,400 firefighters were battling a string of lightning-sparked blazes in Los Padres National Forest.
The fires, burning since Sept. 8, have been difficult to fight because of steep terrain and low humidity at night, said Earl Clayton, a forest service spokesman.
Officials evacuated residents of Tassjara Hot Springs--believed to be home to about 100 people--late Wednesday. Several ranches in the path of the fire were also evacuated.
Officials also moved a pair of rare California condor chicks to the coast from a rearing facility in the Ventana wilderness area that is part of a program to reintroduce the giant birds into their natural habitat.
“They have been taken to the coast, and they are in no danger,” Clayton said.
The blazes are not a concern in relation to the adult condors flying free, because wildfires are a part of their natural habitat, officials said.
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