Piney Fire in Monterey County prompts mandatory evacuations

The Piney Fire, a wildfire burning near Carmel Valley in Monterey County, has burned over 200 acres and prompted mandatory evacuations, fire officials said.

The wildfire started Tuesday at about 4 p.m. about 12 miles southwest of Carmel Valley in the area of the Hastings Natural History Reservation, northeast of the community of Jamestown.

Evacuation orders were issued for people in zones MRY-D074-B and MRY-D076-B, areas north of Martin Road, north of East Carmen Valley Road, and east and west of Hastings Reservation Road. 

Evacuation warnings were issued for the following zones: MRY-D074-A, MRY-D076-A, MRY-D0830.  

A map showing Piney Fire evacuations zones can be viewed here.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, Cal Fire said the fire had burned 220 acres and was at 15% containment. The fire was triggering “a significant augmentation of air and ground resources,” according to a Cal Fire status update Wednesday morning.

A spokesperson for Cal Fire said that though the fire spread quickly, weather conditions turned favorable once the sun went down.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.