Wildfire closes California's Highway and forces evacuations
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The Colorado Fire, which has been burning since Friday, is only 5 percent contained.
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The Colorado Fire burns along Highway 1 near Big Sur, California (AP)
A 1,500-acre fire near the coastal community of Big Sur, California, prompted evacuations and forced the closure of a section of a major highway on Saturday, according to state and local officials.
Wildfires on the coast of Big Sur in California. The fire burned 1,500 acres. pic.twitter.com/G4rmu2iEhz
— Aleksander Onishchuk (@Brave_spirit81) January 22, 2022
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) stated that the Colorado Fire, which has been burning since Friday, is only 5 percent contained.
From near the beach town of Carmel-by-the-Sea to Andrew Molera State Park, a 20-mile stretch of State Highway 1, a scenic north-south route on the Pacific Coast, was also closed.
American Red Cross spokesperson, citing county reports, divulged that approximately 400 people were evacuated from 1,100 structures in Monterey County.
According to the Red Cross, four people and a pet stayed overnight at a shelter in a nearby school.
California has long had an active wildfire season, but in recent years, it has grown longer and more punishing, fueled in part by climate change.
Read More: Dixie Fire Becoming Largest in California History
According to a recent study published in the journal Science Advances by UCI's Department of Earth System Science, fires in the Sierra Nevada ecoregion, a geographical and ecological area in eastern California, have "increased considerably" in recent decades.
Current climate change patterns further alter the structure and function of the Sierra Nevada ecosystem, and the ecoregion's evolution in response to global warming is unknown.
