Plaskett Fire (California)

Sprawling across 29,768 acres in Monterey County, California, the Plaskett Fire burning 34 miles southwest of Big Sur has maintained a steady pace over its ten days of activity, averaging an estimated 2,977 acres of expansion per day. Satellites tracking the perimeter have registered four heat detections in the past 48 hours, illustrating the ongoing footprint of the incident as it burns through six-foot chaparral on federal land under the jurisdiction of the USFS.

Fire behavior on the ground currently features moderate activity, characterized by uphill runs, flanking, and backing through the rugged terrain. To combat these conditions, a robust force of 2,134 personnel operating as a Type 1 Incident under a Complex Incident Management Team has brought containment to 23 percent. Operations to suppress the blaze have accumulated a cost of $18,237,940 since the fire was first reported on August 26, 2026.

This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which spans from June to October. Nationally, the broader wildfire landscape reveals that 3,177,542 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that sits 42 percent below the two-decade average.