Big Sur , California ( CNN ) -- A nearly uncontrollable 550-acre wildfire showed no mercy Tuesday and burned several homes in California 's Big Sur , including the fire chief 's . That twist was n't lost on Fire Chief Martha Karstens of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade . She oversees firefighters in a coastal wilderness renowned for its raw beauty . `` The irony does n't escape me , and again , I try to set an example for fire clearance , '' Karstens told CNN . With severe drought conditions in the chaparral and timberland , the erratic fire was burning nearly uncontrollably , with only 5 % of it contained , authorities said . Are you there ? Stay safe , share your images . `` The situation was too much , '' Karstens said of the wildfire , whose growth potential was rated `` high '' by fire officials . `` I went out to fight a fire . I had my purse , my cell phone and my glasses , and I did n't know I was going to be trying to save my own home , '' she said . Firefighters have 36 hours to put out the fire before a weather system brings 30-mph gusts to Big Sur , which could energize and expand the wildfire , CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said . `` It 's the wind that 's going to get so very bad , '' Myers said . `` It 's going to get ugly , and it 's going to get ugly fast . `` This is going to be a big fire if we do n't get it out in the next 36 hours , '' he said midday Tuesday . `` It 's going to get tragically bigger . '' Residences in the Pfeiffer Ridge community were evacuated . About 500 personnel were fighting the Pfeiffer Fire , which started about midnight Monday , and its cause is still being investigated , officials said . The Pacific Coast Highway , also known as California Highway 1 , remained open in Big Sur , authorities said Tuesday . Almost all of California is in a severe or extreme drought , the National Drought Mitigation Center website says . The Big Sur area is listed as being in a severe drought , and cattlemen such as Dick Nock are struggling with an extreme drought just down the coast . Nock 's rangeland along California 's picturesque central coast usually shimmers in a green grass blanket in December , but not in this dry spell . `` Everywhere you look , it 's just dirt . This is the worst drought I 've ever seen in 80 years , '' he said . Nock recently thinned his herd from 400 to 200 cattle to save money . His livestock require expensive hay , he explained . San Luis Obispo and neighboring Santa Barbara counties have been tagged with `` extreme '' conditions . For example , the 5,000-acre Lake San Antonio in the San Luis Obispo County coastal mountains has shrunk to 5 % of its capacity , closing boat ramps in October , officials said . Fire officials south of Big Sur are on alert for brush fires there , said Robert Lewin , the Cal Fire Chief for San Luis Obispo County . CNN 's Dan Simon contributed from the Big Sur , and Paul Vercammen contributed from San Luis Obispo County . Michael Martinez wrote from Los Angeles .
CNN : The wildfire burns several houses , including the fire chief 's . NEW : ` ` The irony does n't escape me , '' fire chief says . NEW : We have two hours before high winds arrive , CNN 's Chad Myers says . The Pfeiffer Fire is virtually untamed , with only 10 % contained .