Salinas >> An evacuation warning issued Sunday evening, in response to an expected wind event that officials fear will breathe new life into the 38-day-old Soberanes Fire, had firefighters Monday preparing for greater activity in the Big Sur area of the Ventana Wilderness and testing fire personnel’s lines of defense.

“Crews are strengthening the suppression line from just south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park down to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park,” said Ludie Bond, a public information officer at the fire’s Toro Park command center. “With the shifting winds, fire activity will pick up today.”

Bond said personnel would be working through the night to monitor the Soberanes Fire incident in the high-wind area.

On the southwestern flank of the Soberanes Fire Sunday, helicopters dropped fire retardant along the ridge line in the Cold Springs area in an effort to fortify the lines already established by hand crews and dozers. But as winds increase past 25 mph, the situation becomes unsafe, said Bond.

The latest evacuation warning area in Big Sur is bounded on the north by Castro Canyon, on the south by the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, on the east by North Coast Ridge Road and on the west by Highway 1.

An evacuation order remains in effect for North Coast Ridge Road from mile marker 1.5 to Marble Peak at the end of the road.

“The wind event is due to a passing surge of energy in an upper level trough,” said Brian Mejia, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “It’s a low pressure system centered offshore of British Columbia.”

Mejia said the system creates a ripple effect of weather, which will include more rain than wind in Washington and Oregon, dry lightning north of San Francisco in Marin County and sustained winds out of the northwest at 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph in the Big Sur area through Tuesday night.

Although efforts are focused on the Big Sur area of the fire due to the increasing winds, other sections of the formidable Soberanes Fire are being worked including increased fire protection of structures at Church Ranch, the Tassajara Zen Center and the English Cabin.

An evacuation warning remains in place for Tassajara Road from Carmel Valley Road to the Tassajara Hot Springs Zen Center.

The Soberanes Fire, now burning in the Los Padres National Forest, was started by an illegal campfire on July 22 in Garrapata State Park.

The fire has consumed 92,314 acres and destroyed 68 structures, while 410 remain threatened. It remains at 60 percent containment. There are 23 crews, 62 engines, 13 helicopters, six dozers, four water tenders and 1,248 personnel working on the blaze.

The Soberanes Fire continued to spread into the south fork of the Sur River and Mocho Creek on the south edge of the fire Monday.

Incident managers met with U.S. Forest Service personnel with extensive fire experience in the Ventana Wilderness to validate the current strategic plan.

“The goal, and if everything were to go exactly the way operations would like it to go, we’re going to hopefully guide this fire and keep her bottle-necked, coming down further south of Church Ranch and the Zen Center,” said Bond. “But you never know what she’s going to do. It depends on the fuels, the topography and the weather.”

In southern Monterey County, where the Chimney Fire first started in San Luis Obispo County Aug. 13 before spreading northward, fire continues to burn near Bryson Hesperia in Monterey County and Fort Hunter Liggett, affecting 224 residents.

There was some good news on the Chimney Fire as officials announced all evacuation orders would be lifted effective 5 p.m. on Monday and Hearst Castle reopened for normal tour hours on Monday as well.

Hand crews continue working in very steep terrain, particularly on the northwest perimeter of the fire line, with very dry brush, chaparral and dead timber.

The Chimney Fire has consumed 46,344 acres and is 70 percent contained. A total of 70 structures have been destroyed with another eight damaged.

A road closure remains in effect for Interlake Road and Bryson Hesperia Road.

The fire, which is still under investigation, is being fought with 258 engines, 109 crews, four air tankers, 14 helicopters, 45 dozers, 66 water tenders and 3,456 personnel.

As of Monday, the Soberanes and Chimney fires were 40 miles apart according to Forest Service maps.

James Herrera can be reached at 831-726-4344.