At an 11 a.m. press conference held Thursday at Dos Pueblos High School, County Fire Chief Eric Peterson called the Scherpa Fire “a significant and challenging fire with fuels that haven’t burned in more than 70 years.” The area, known to locals as “La Scherpa,” continues to burn 1,200 acres at zero percent containment. “It’s getting bigger as we speak,” said Peterson.
By 1 p.m. Thursday, the fire was burning a quarter mile from Highway 101 near Refugio Campground. People at Refugio Campground and El Capitan’s Ocean Mesa Campground were being told to leave.
According to Sheriff Bill Brown, 427 emergency phone calls were made to at-risk residences and businesses. Of those calls, 395 announced mandatory evacuations. Forty-one evacuees spent Thursday night at the 200 North Turnpike Road Wake Center. All but three of them camped outside the building in their own trailers.