A firefighter is shown near a timber fire along California's Big Sur coast. Photo courtesy of California Fire San Benito-Monterey Unit
Aug. 11 (UPI) -- California issued evacuation orders and warnings Tuesday throughout Monterey County as a wildfire spread almost 2,500 acres along the state's Big Sur coast.
The fire in central California started Sunday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. By Tuesday afternoon, it was considered about 5% contained. The cause was under investigation.
The fire originated in the Los Padres National Forest near Loma Vista, about 100 miles south of San Jose, and spread quickly, The New York Times reported. The Big Sur region draws millions of tourists each year and is known for its redwood forests and coastline. Several tourist attractions, including the Henry Miller Memorial Library, were in the evacuation areas.
"To the best of our knowledge, no buildings have been damaged or destroyed yet," Josh Silveira, a battalion chief with Cal Fire, the state's firefighting agency, told The Times.
