A wildfire grew slightly overnight along California's Big Sur coast, but is now 5 percent contained based on officials' statements, according to Contra Costa Times.
The wildfire has already consumed about 550 acres, which is 50 acres more than previously reported. The wildfire has destroyed at least 15 homes and 100 people were evacuated since the fire started around midnight Sunday.
No one was reported although the cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
Big Sur is one of California's iconic landscapes covered by thick vegetation. It had not burned since 1907, the report said.
Chief Martha Karstens, chief of Big Sur's fire brigade whose own home was destroyed in the wildfire, could not contain tears during a press conference.
"I'm just trying to function as a chief," she said at the conference and added that she had lost everything.
Fire season is supposed to be over for the rest of U.S., the California Coast remains under threat even during the month of December because of warm temperatures and Santa Ana winds. However, experts see the wildfire at Big Sur rather unusual. The stretch of Central California is moister terrain. The wildfire serves as a reminder of the dry weather that struck California this year.
"It is unusual but not that uncommon," Manny Madrigal, a forest service public information officer, told the Contra Costa Times. "We have extreme conditions this year, with very little rain and we don't see any forecast of rain in the future. It is really critical. We have had a busy fire year this year and it isn't over yet."
"It's kind of shocking. The rain total for this year is less than Big Sur usually gets in December," Larry Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey, said in an interview. "It's definitely been dry, that's for sure."
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
