Burning car sparks brush fire on Hwy. 101 on Cuesta Grade
Update: 10:07 a.m.
Cal Fire reports that “the forward spread” of the fire has halted and that crews are working on hot spots and containment. Meanwhile, Caltrans District 5 reports that the middle northbound lane of Highway 101 on the Cuesta Grade is now open but the right lane remains closed.
Update: 9:30 a.m.
Cal Fire is reporting that the fire has grown to 15 acres and crews are making “good progress.”
Original story
A burning car sparked a vegetation fire on the Cuesta Grade on Saturday morning, according to the CHP.
The car fire on northbound Highway 101 was first reported about 7:55 a.m., with nearby brush catching fire soon after. Two northbound lanes were being closed about 8:05 a.m. near Mt. Lowe Road about halfway up the Grade.
About 8:35 a.m., Cal Fire reported the fire had grown to about 3 or 4 acres, with the fire burning uphill against the wind. The San Luis Obispo City Fire Department was assisting Cal Fire.
This is the second fire on the Cuesta Grade sparked by a burning car in about a week.
On July 7, a Mercedes-Benz sedan caught fire about 4:20 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 near the Cuesta Grade summit. That fire burned about 60 acres before it was contained on July 8.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published July 15, 2017 at 8:57 AM with the headline "Burning car sparks brush fire on Hwy. 101 on Cuesta Grade."