PUT IT OUT

Big Sur Wildfire Rages as Heat Wave Dominates California

The fire has consumed more than 2,000 acres so far.

As a heatwave batters California days before the summer solstice, the state’s Big Sur region is struggling with another problem: a wildfire that has consumed over 2,000 acres of land. SFGATE reports that the Willow Fire, which has not been contained at all, amassed that size between Thursday and Friday. That’s led firefighters to hike into the surrounding areas to try and put it out, with jets overhead deploying flame retardants in hopes to quell the fiery landscape. In total, 337 people from different agencies have responded to the blaze. More than 300 people have been evacuated from the area, which borders the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in Carmel Valley. The fire comes as the state grapples with a heatwave, with Gov. Gavin Newsom declaring a state of emergency in response. The heatwave has seen temperatures rise to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.