Sharjah24 – Reuters: Firefighters gained greater control on Sunday of a wildfire that closed northern California's scenic coastal highway and threatened a famous bridge, although about 500 people stayed under evacuation orders, officials said.
The so-called Colorado Fire, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Monterey and just north of the area known as Big Sur, broke out on Friday night and crossed the Pacific Coast Highway, burning for a time on the ocean side of the road.
The fire approached, but did not damage, the Bixby Creek Bridge, known for its spectacular concrete arch support that soars 260 feet (80 meters) over the gorge and Pacific Ocean below.
The fire was 35% contained on Sunday night, up from the morning's figure of 25%, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said in an update.
The blaze was limited to about 700 acres (283 hectares), down from 1,050 acres in the morning, a revision it attributed to "accurate mapping."
Cal Fire said, "The fire behavior was moderate and made wind-driven runs late Saturday night and into Sunday morning," adding that crew efforts to build and improve containment lines and mop up hotspots would continue on Sunday.
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