As it continues burning through dense vegetation in an area that has not seen any fire in 50 years, the Plaskett Fire grew aggressively once again on Monday and into Tuesday morning, pushing further east toward Fort Hunter Liggett.The Plaskett Fire, which is burning about 30 miles south of the Timbe r Fire in rugged, largely uninhabited terrain east of Big Sur, has grown to a sizable wildfire far quicker than the Timber Fire, crossing the 27,000-acre mark in less than week.The Plaskett Fire, which began Wednesday, August 26, now stands at 27,580 acres, up from 15,500 acres just yesterday, and it is now the largest active fire in the state. The Timber Fire, burning since August 8 — about two and a half weeks longer — stands at 25,190 acres. The Plaskett Fire is just 1% contained, while the Timber Fire is 21% contained, according to Cal Fire.Both fires are burning in different parts of Los Padres National Forest, with the Timber Fire footprint overlapping with some more recent wildfires, and the Plaskett Fire burning in denser vegetation that has been untouched by fire in decades.Neither fire has done any destruction in terms of homes or businesses, and they have mostly been kept away from the Big Sur coast and Highway 1, although the rapid expansion of the Plaskett Fire over the weekend prompted a wide-ranging evacuation order that reached down to the San Luis Obispo County border in the south, and over to the US Army training base known as Fort Hunter Liggett to the east. The base remains under an evacuation warning, and the fire pushed east toward it overnight, according to Cal Fire.Map via Cal FireMap showing the two fires, via Cal Fire"The fire continued aggressive growth during the previous operational period, primarily along the eastern perimeter as it pushes into Fort Hunter Liggett," Cal Fire said in a Tuesday morning update. "Steep terrain and heavy fuels continue to drive fire behavior."Cal Fire adds that "Crews made progress along the northern edge, using firing operations along the Slick Rock road system, while aviation resources supported suppression efforts along the southern edge near Los Burros Road."And the agency says that "structure defense remains a primary operational priority."The Plaskett Fire began last Wednesday just east of the coastal outpost of Plaskett, near Willow Creek Beach and San Martin Rock. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.While the Plaskett and Timber fires don't show any immediate danger of merging, being about 30 miles apart, Big Sur residents and business owners are already feeling boxed in and inundated by fire the way they were in the summer of 2008, when the Basin Complex fire ultimately consumed over 160,000 acres following the merging of three separate fires.As ABC 7 reported on Friday, businesses in Big Sur were forced to close again after briefly getting to reopen earlier this month as the Timber Fire got more under control — with fire growth primarily concentrated in the north and east away from Highway 1.A 40-mile stretch of Highway 1 is again closed to the public as the firefights continue.Previously: Plaskett Fire Now at 15,500 Acres; Evacuation Zone Hits County Border ...read more read less