What readers need to know

The Timber Fire reached 6,669 acres and remained 29% contained as of the official update posted August 21 at 6:31 p.m. The incident remains active southeast of Loma Vista in Monterey County.

Fire managers reported continued activity on the eastern side, including around the Pine Ridge Trail system, while firefighters strengthened containment lines along the coast. The fire was backing toward the Big Sur River but remained south of it at the time of the update.

Highway 1 remains closed from mile marker 42.6, about one-half mile south of Deetjen's Big Sur Inn, to mile marker 37 at the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Vista Point. Agencies are assessing loose and unstable rocks above the highway. Two evacuation-order zones and nine warning zones also remained listed on the official incident page.

For Pacific Grove residents and visitors, the immediate effect is Big Sur travel: do not attempt to drive through the closure, keep firefighting routes clear and check the official incident and highway pages before leaving. The acreage is not a measure of structures lost, and the official page reported no confirmed structural damage, injuries or fatalities in its damage-assessment section.