Soberanes Fire reaches 40,000 acres, destroys 70 structures

CARMEL, Calif., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Soberanes Fire, burning near Big Sur in Northern California for more than a week has scorched 40,000 acres, essentially the size of the city of San Francisco, Cal Fire said.

Full containment of the wildfire was originally expected to be July 31, but now stands at 18 percent. Two more communities were ordered to evacuate Sunday and nearly 70 structures were destroyed. About 2,000 homes are threatened.

Strong southerly winds are blowing the fire away from homes on the coast, and deeper into Los Padres National Forest, said Cal Fire spokesperson Maria Lara.

"It's good in a way, but it means there will be more acreage burning," Lara said. "It's also more steep terrain to put our crews in, and sometimes we don't have access to those areas."

The fire is responsible for the death of bulldozer operator Robert Reagan III, who died fighting the blaze in a remote area of Garrapata State Park in Carmel last week.