The fire has been unpredictable - moving north and south at the same time and only three-percent contained with no end in sight.
"Its either fight or flight, one or the other," said Cornelius Meirs Rose, evacuee.
Hundreds of people or forced to choose the latter not knowing when they may be able to return to their homes near Big Sur.
"I knew the fire was going to burn Big Sur up the moment the lightening struck," said Meirs Rose.
Meirs Rose is staying at a Red Cross shelter in Carmel Valley Middle School, not knowing what he will come home to.
"It's like losing a family member in a way. I remember I woke up the other morning and I looked out across this beautiful meadow that I live in up there. I said, well, this is the last time you're going to see that," said Meirs Rose.
Firefighters are working feverishly to stop this fire before it reaches the almost 1,300 buildings that are threatened.
"I think it's going to be a tough day for the firefighters," said Greg DeNitto, U.S. Forest Service.
That is because the weather and condition of the lands are about as bad as they can be.
"It's the perfect storm so to speak," said DeNitto.
Tracking the fire is unpredictable - the winds are erratic changing direction forcing the fire in every which way.
"It looks like an army is coming over the mountain with torches in their hands. Thousands and thousands of little flames coming over the mountain like a wave," said Meirs Rose.
All this man can do is wait.
"My three sons are all there fighting the fire," said Meirs Rose.
"Are you worried about them?" asked ABC7's Anne Makovec.
"No," said Meirs Rose.
"How come?" asked Makovec.
"They are my sons and I know how good they are," said Meirs Rose.
A lot of people have actually bucked the evacuations and firefighters are strongly discouraging this. This fire has already burned 61,000 acres and might not be contained until the end of the month.
MAP: Google Reference Map of California Fires
(From the Governor's Office of Emergency Services).
