Dozer Operator Killed Battling CA Wildfire

A bulldozer operator was killed battling the Soberanes Fire that grew to 23,568 acres overnight near Big Sur, and prompted officials to declare a state of emergency.

The private bulldozer operator, who was not identified, was killed Tuesday after rolling the heavy equipment while fighting the fire that burned through the night, said Capt. John Clingingsmith with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Another operator escaped injury earlier Tuesday after a bulldozer being unloaded off a truck rolled over.

Warm temperatures and low humidity throughout the day Tuesday intensified the fire, which continued to devour the dry trees and thick brush in the steep canyons and along the ridges in Monterey County near Big Sur.

The fire, fueled by dried vegetation that has been building up for decades, was only 10 percent contained Wednesday, Cal Fire officials said.

Four other firefighters had minor injuries like sprained ankles suffered while battling the fire, officials said.

Cal Fire crews on Tuesday rescued eight men who became lost hiking near the south end of the fire in Big Sur. Bulldozing crews found the men after air crews spotted them and pinpointed their location with a global positioning unit.

The group was evacuated to a nearby campground where they were checked out and found to be unharmed, Cal Fire officials said.

The sheriff’s office expanded evacuation orders Tuesday afternoon to include part of the Santa Lucia Preserve on Rancho San Carlos Road between Canter Run and Garzas Trial.

Residents in the communities around Palo Colorado, Old Coast Road, Garrapatos Road, Bixby Creek Road, Corona Road and Riley Ranch Road were forced to flee after the fire tore through over the weekend.

The fire started Friday morning in Garrapatos State Park near Carmel Highlands and quickly spread south toward Big Sur, burning 20 homes and two outbuilding along the way.

Two-thousand homes remain threatened by the fire, which is the first major wildfire of the season burning near the Bay Area, Cal Fire officials said.

The July wildfire comes as officials gear up for what is expected to be a particularly menacing fire season. So far, wildfires have been burning at a faster pace statewide than at this point last year.

The Wragg Fire that set off in Lake County on July 22, 2015 was the first of three massive fires in the county, including the Valley Fire. That blaze eviscerated Middletown and it’s surrounding communities.

The campgrounds and day-use areas in the picturesque woods along the Central Coast in Big Sur were shut down indefinitely while nearly 3,000 firefighters battle the inferno.

Pfeiffer Big Sur and Andrew Molera state parks were among half a dozen recreation areas near the fire closed until further notice by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Acting California Governor Tom Torlakson - who is in charge while Gov. Jerry Brown and Lt. Gov Gavin Newsom attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia - issued a state of emergency in Monterey County.

Torlakson, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, also issued a state of emergency for Los Angeles County where the deadly Sand Fire has burned 37,701 acres, and destroyed more than a dozen homes. A man’s body was found burned over the weekend inside a vehicle within the burn area.

The Sand Fire was 40 percent contained and all evacuation orders were lifted Wedneday.

The declaration directs state resources to the counties affected by the fire.

Smoke from the fire traveled north into the Bay Area where the air quality management district ordered a spare the air day for the second day in a row due to unhealthy air quality.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter:@EvanSernoffsky

———

©2016 the San Francisco Chronicle

Visit the San Francisco Chronicle at www.sfgate.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.