Highway 166 reopens after brush fires shut down road for hours
Update, 8:35 p.m.:
Highway 166 is now fully reopened, according to Caltrans District 5 spokesman Jim Shivers.
Update, 4:30 p.m.:
Firefighters continue to make progress on the fires, Cal Fire says.
One fire is contained at one acre and the second fire is five acres. Mop-up efforts will continue for the next several hours and the highway is expected to remain closed for the next few hours.
Update, 3:30 p.m.:
Highway 166 remains closed due to two brush fires east of Santa Maria. Caltrans estimates the highway will be reopened by 10 p.m.
Original story:
Two brush fires have closed Highway 166 east of Santa Maria on Monday afternoon.
As of 1 p.m., both directions of the highway are closed between Highway 101 and Perkins Road, Caltrans District 5 said in an news release.
Drivers are advised to use caution to take another route between the Central Coast and the valley.
Caltrans has no estimated time for the highway’s reopening.
At approximately 11:15 a.m., personnel from Cal Fire in San Luis Obispo County, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the California Highway Patrol were dispatched to the incidents about 20 miles east of Highway 101.
One fire was quickly contained at about an acre, but a second blaze burning nearby had charred 2 to 3 acres, with the potential of growing to 15 acres, Cal Fire officials told Noozhawk.
The blazes were burning north of Highway 166, but reportedly were moving slowly.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 1:00 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)