Fire erupts along Highway 166 on Friday, forcing road closure in both directions

A vegetation fire Friday burned 16 acres of grass and shut down a part of Highway 166 — the second fire in this spot in less than a month.

The Canyon Fire, as Cal Fire called it, broke out around 12:25 p.m. on Friday along Bull Canyon Road, south east of Nipomo near Santa Maria.

Cal Fire from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties had the fire 100% contained by Friday around 8:22 p.m.

When the fire became contained, Cal Fire SLO tweeted the fire would then be in patrol status through Saturday.

The fire had swept across the road, causing Caltrans to close the highway in both directions Friday afternoon.

The California Highway Patrol dispatch logs reported the fire had started coming across the south side of the road and was moving to the east.

More than an hour after the closure, Caltrans was able to reopen the highway.

The California Highway Patrol dispatch logs also reported power lines were in the direct line of fire, requiring PG&E at the scene for caution.

The fire maintained a moderate rate of spread.

By 2 p.m., Cal Fire had reduced their response to the fire as its forward progress slowed. No structures were threatened or damaged in the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Cal Fire said.

A 48-acre fire at the same intersection burned less than a month ago, on May 24. That fire also didn’t damage any structures and was contained by the evening.

This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 1:12 PM.