Firefighters mass to protect Big Sur

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Gin Horrocks takes a break from cleaning leaves and brush around a building as fire approaches the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center near Big Sur. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)

2/11

Sonja Gardenswartz moves linens from a guest cottage to a truck to be taken away as fire approaches the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)

3/11

Fire crews from a joint task force from Nebraska, Colorado, Oregon and Kansas, are engulfed by smoke from a wildfire as it approaches a home on Partington Ridge Road south of Big Sur. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

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Robert Koch, of PatRick Corporation, a private contractor from Oregon, hoses down a house as flames approach on Partington Ridge Road south of Big Sur. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

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Firefighter Josh Zufelt covers his face as a wildfire approaches a home on Partington Ridge Road south of Big Sur. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

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The view of the Pacific coastline is obstructed by haze from a wildfire north of Big Sur. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

7/11

Smoke from the fires in Big Sur shrouds the hills of Carmel Valley. Fires continue to burn in the area, and forecasts of lightning mean more fires likely will come this weekend. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)

8/11

Little Tujunga Hot Shots build a fire line in Big Sur. Fire crews continue to fight a wildfire which has scorched the Los Padres National Forest along California’s Central Coast. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

9/11

A redwood burns at its roots in Big Sur. Nearly 1,100 fires were burning from San Jose to the Oregon border, said a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

10/11

Leonides Guillen tries to avoid inhaling smoke as she walks along Highway 1 on her way to work in Big Sur. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

11/11

Kirk Gafill, general manager of Nepenthe restaurant, eyes the wildfire approaching his family-owned business in Big Sur. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

By Eric Bailey and Cara Mia DiMassa

June 27, 2008 11:23 AM PT

Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

Firefighters bolstered their defenses today against an expanding wildfire that threatened coastal homes in the storied tourist town of Big Sur while bracing for fresh lightning strikes that could ignite new fires across Northern California.

The blazes prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today to request that President Bush declare a state of emergency in the region.

Nearly 1,100 fires were burning just in the region from San Jose to the Oregon border, said Jason Kirchner, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. Those are in addition to the two gigantic blazes that have charred some 134 square miles in the Los Padres National Forest.

The fire closest to the legendary cliffs and funky getaways of Big Sur was about a mile from Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in the heart of the region, said Curtis Vincent, a spokesman for the Los Padres National Forest.

Thousands of residents remained evacuated from their homes as the blazes raged for a seventh day since a freak barrage of thunderstorms rolled across the region last weekend.

Areas of Butte, Shasta and Trinity counties still were under evacuation orders, and authorities were suggesting that residents leave their homes in fire-threatened spots in Lassen, Modoc, Mendocino, Trinity and Shasta counties.

A half-dozen state highways in those counties were closed, hindering travel as the summer vacation season kicks in. Authorities said property damage had not been widespread. In the last week, 18 residences, one commercial building and 19 other structures have been lost, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

A blanket of smoke continued to plague the Central Valley, with air quality readings in Sacramento topping out just short of the “very unhealthful” range.

In some spots, the smoke was so thick that airline flights were delayed. Residents with breathing problems were being urged to stay indoors.

eric.bailey@latimes.com, cara.dimassa@latimes.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report