People try to get hotel vouchers as evacuation warning is issued

CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. (KION)

Carmel Valley Village potentially in the path of the Carmel fire.

Despite some small progress reported on the fire Friday evening, an evacuation warning issued late into Friday afternoon as a precautionary measure for the Carmel Valley and Laureles Grade areas.

In Carmel Valley Village alone, an estimated 4,400 people are impacted.  

In a briefing held around 4:30 p.m. Monterey County Sheriff Steve Bernal said the measure was taken

“out of an abundance of caution based on forecasted winds that could impact the River and Carmel fires.”

People in the area, already anticipating the news and ready to go.

“We are making this notification as early as possible to give people enough time to prepare their belongings and safely leave their home,” said Bernal.

Hours earlier people from Carmel Valley Village were trying to plan evacuation plans.

At the village's library -- signs directed people to Leguna Seca - which as of Friday evening was no longer an evacuation center.

People like Leslie Savelberg headed to the Pavilion in hopes of avoiding an added expense.

However she and other women found there were no vouchers available. Instead people are being given a list of hotels and motels offering discounted rates.

“Apparently all the vouchers are kinda gone. and all their resources are tapped out so they gave me some information on hotels that might have discounted rates... so we're just using our own money to stay at a hotel,” said Adi Kemp from Salinas. Kemp is evacuated from the Las Palmas neighborhood on River Road in the River fire.