BIG SUR, Calif. --
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to visit the Basin Complex Fire Wednesday morning to get a first-hand look at the damage being done by the massive blaze there. U.S. Forest Service officials said the Indians Fire continued to burn, growing slightly to 58,872 acres while fire crews were able to contain about 71 percent of the blaze.
More than 2,000 firefighters have been battling the Indians Fire since June 8 when an out-of-control campfire ignited the blaze.
"This is a historic fire siege across the state of California," firefighter Richard Hadley said.
Mandatory evacuation notices were issued late Tuesday afternoon for residents in the Arroyo Seco area as the Indians Fire continued to move north toward homes.
Residents on Arroyo Seco Road from Carmel Valley Road to the Arroyo Seco Campgrounds have been ordered to evacuate the area.
A Red Cross evacuation center has been set up for displaced residents at Greenfield Elementary School located at 490 El Camino Real in Greenfield. It is set to open at 8 a.m.
An emergency animal shelter for pets has been opened adjacent to Greenfield Elementary School.
Homeowners that need help evacuating pets or livestock are asked to contact the SPCA at 831-373-2631.
The SPCA for Monterey County has a listing of pet-friendly hotels in the area for displaced residents on their Web site.
At least 16 homes and 13 outbuildings have been destroyed in the fire.
Gallery, Basin Fires Combine The two fires burning south of Big Sur are expected to combine sometime Wednesday into a larger fire that fire officials are calling the Basin Complex Fire.
The Gallery and Basin fires have been combined into one fire incident that has grown to more than 19,100 acres and has destroyed 16 homes and two outbuildings since lightning sparked the blazes on Saturday afternoon.
A public meeting was held Monday night at the Big Sur Visitor Center, where more than 100 concerned residents gathered to find out the latest information from the U.S. Forest Service.
About 75 homes were evacuated Saturday night between Partington Ridge and Graves Canyon. The Red Cross established an evacuation center at the Big Sur Grange Hall for displaced residents.
More than 500 homes are threatened by the growing wildfire. No further evacuations have been issued.
Highway 1 was closed between the Ventana Inn and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park as fire crews worked in the steep terrain. It is not known when the highway will reopen.
The Basin Fire moved south and east toward the Tassajara Hot Springs Resort area early Tuesday morning.
"It's really wait and see and just hoping safe and timely resolution and if get more resources and cooperation from weather than hopefully sooner than later right now hour by hour, day to day," firefighter Eric Edwards said.
The Red Cross is preparing to open an evacuation center in Carmel if more evacuation notices are issued.
With hundreds of fires burning across the state it's making it difficult to fight the basin complex fire - resources are tapped out.
"We're starting to tap into resources coming in from Oregon, Nevada and all across the country," Hadley said.
By Tuesday morning firefighters had already arrived from Oregon to help fight the fire and more firefighters are expected in the coming days and officials said they will be needed because the fire is expected to burn for weeks.
Schwarzenegger Declares State Of Emergency In Monterey County Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Monterey County late Monday as a result of the fires raging through the county.
The declaration frees up additional money and resources from the state to help fight the fires.
Schwarzenegger mobilized a portion of the California National Guard on Saturday to help combat the wildfires across northern California.
The Monterey County Emergency Operations Center was activated late Tuesday morning in order to better coordinate county and state resources and information.
Copyright 2008 by KSBW.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
