Firefighting Monks Join Effort To Combat The Willow Fire In A Remote Area Of Big Sur - NPR

In this photo provided by the California Interagency Willow Fire Incident, smoke rises from the Willow Fire near Big Sur, Calif., on Sunday, June 20.

In this photo provided by the California Interagency Willow Fire Incident, smoke rises from the Willow Fire near Big Sur, Calif., on Sunday, June 20.

The fire broke out last Thursday in the Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest and burned near the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, a Buddhist monastery located in a remote area.

This week, much of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center monastery was evacuated, but according to reports from the Associated Press and The New York Times at least seven monks remained to help extinguish the fire and keep the center safe.

The monks have been clearing brush from around the facility and running a sprinkler system they named "Dharma rain," which helps keep the center's buildings wet, Sozan Miglioli, president of San Francisco Zen Center, which operates the monastery, told the AP.

The group of professionally-trained firefighting monks have been busting blazes since 2008, when a wildfire spread to the Tassajara monastery.