Hwy. 166 reopens, evacuation orders reduced as Alamo Fire reaches 78 percent containment

Update Thursday, 7 a.m.

Crews pushed containment to 78 percent overnight, and the fire decreased to 28,687 acres. Firefighters plan to strengthen containment lines and diminish hot spots inside the fire perimeter Thursday, Cal Fire said in a news release.

Original story

Highway 166 was reopened and all road other closures were lifted Wednesday as crews continued to make progress on the Alamo Fire in northern Santa Barbara County.

There was minimal fire activity, according to Cal Fire, no new structures were burned and containment reached 70 percent.

Evacuation orders for some displaced residents were reduced to warnings, and Cal Fire advised residents re-entering property in the area to use extreme caution.

The blaze, which sparked near Santa Maria one week ago, has scorched 28,687 acres — a slight decrease from Tuesday, when it was reported at 28,926 acres. Full containment is expected by Saturday.

Cal Fire on Wednesday morning tweeted that evacuation orders were reduced to warnings for the following areas, effective immediately:

▪  Blazing Saddles Road

▪  Tepusquet Canyon Road south from Blazing Saddles Road to Santa Maria Mesa Road

▪  White Rock Lane

▪  Colson Canyon and Tepusquet Canyon roads north from Blazing Saddles Road to Highway 166 and Buckhorn Ridge and Pine Canyon roads

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Hwy. 166 reopens, evacuation orders reduced as Alamo Fire reaches 78 percent containment."