©CALfire

Almost 20 days after the Timber fire broke out in Big Sur, threatening hundreds of residents and structures, the fire is continuing to grow at a rapid pace, officials said. It has again forced the closure of Highway 1 as well as beloved local businesses that had only recently reopened. On Thursday, the Timber fire grew about 4,000 acres over the course of the day, said Battalion Chief Josh Silveira of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It surged from roughly 19,000 acres in the morning to more than 23,000 acres as of around 7:30 p.m. …Another fast-moving wildfire is burning near the Timber fire in Monterey County: the uncontained Plaskett fire, which ignited Tuesday in a remote area about 30 miles down the coast from the Timber fire and has grown to about 140 acres. …Silveira said about 600 residents had received evacuation orders as a result of the Timber and Plaskett fires.