The Chimney fire in San Luis Obispo County was burning Tuesday about two miles east of Hearst Castle, where for days crew have been protecting the tourist attraction by cutting multiple fire lines.
The historic 165-room estate remains closed, and tours are canceled through Sunday, California State Parks said in a statement. Visitors with reservations through the weekend will be contacted about refunds, officials said.
The Chimney fire has challenged firefighters, who thought they had gained the upper hand before winds picked up and it exploded over the weekend, officials said. The blaze was mostly moving north, but fire crews were preparing for the winds to shift on Tuesday, said Cal Fire Capt. Lucas Spelman.
The fire is burning over a large area that has created dramatically different firefighting conditions, he said.
On the western side of the fire, closer to the ocean, high humidity on Monday held the moisture in the air and trapped the smoke, making visibility so bad that it grounded firefighting aircraft, Spelman said. On the eastern side, firefighters had had the "exact opposite thing going on," with "exceptionally low" humidity, dry brush and fast-moving flames, Spelman said.
"It's almost like the mountains are just doused in gasoline," said Spelman, who has worked on numerous major wildfires already this year. "The brush is just burning at a rate that's incredible."
