Hundreds stay in Big Sur despite evacuation, El Niño may bring less common sea life to Monterey Bay

This is Monterey Bay Today from KEZU News Friday, August 14th. I'm Lisa Ledeen. The timber fire in Big Sur has reached 4,545 acres, but as KEZU's Aaron Molesbury reports, some people have stayed. to try to protect property. Kirk Gaffel is the general manager of Nepenthe Restaurant and president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce. Nepenthe is closed and in the evacuation zone, but Gaffel is still there, not far from the fire. If it's very calm and there's no wind to speak of, 2,000 feet's a lot of distance. If it's windy and gusty and yet windblown embers, that is far too close. He says staying behind means accepting emergency services aren't available. The Community Association of Big Sur estimates 230 people remain in evacuation zones. No structure losses have been reported, but Gaffel says water systems have been damaged. Loss of water tanks. catch basins, settling tanks, damaged water lines. He calls local business closures a gut punch, especially after three years of road closures from landslides. He worries about slides this winter, but hopes there's time for plants to stabilize the slopes. Erin Malsbury, K-A-ZU News. With this year's Super El Nino weather pattern, scientists are forecasting changes in marine life. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Manager John Eugorez says ocean critters that don't typically call Monterey Bay home will likely be visiting. Things like California Sheepad, which are a southern California species, as well as even some California spiny lobster, which are pretty unusual to see in Monterey, but they do come up in the Alenio events. He's also predicting more juvenile white shark sightings, and he says while the Super El Nino brings opportunities to see things out of the ordinary, people should always be alert when in the ocean. That's it for Monterey Bay today. Tune in tomorrow for a weekly roundup, and we'll be back Monday with more local news.