Evacuations have been issued along California’s iconic Big Sur coast due to the Timber fire, which ignited Sunday in Monterey County and expanded to over 1,700 acres by Monday, according to Cal Fire, the state’s fire agency. The blaze is burning in steep, rugged terrain near popular tourist sites including Nepenthe restaurant, the Henry Miller Memorial Library, and the Alila Ventana resort. Part of the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) has been closed to non-residents as firefighters work to establish containment lines along the corridor.

Cal Fire reported that ground crews are accessing difficult terrain, but the fire is moving slowly, primarily burning grass, brush, and oak woodland without reaching the tree tops.

Meanwhile, in British Columbia, Canada has placed its military on standby to assist with deadly wildfires that have forced approximately 20,000 residents to evacuate. At least one woman has died, and nearly half of the fires in the region remain uncontrolled. The mayor of Summerland, a town of about 12,000 people evacuated since Saturday night along with nearby Peachland, warned that the affected areas are too dangerous to enter and the extent of destruction remains unclear.

Oregon is also experiencing its worst wildfire season on record, with 3,671 square miles (9,508 square kilometers) burned, according to Jean Nelson-Dean, spokesperson for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

These simultaneous wildfire crises highlight ongoing challenges in wildfire management across the western United States and Canada.

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