Part of Highway 101 shut down as firefighters battle blaze in Santa Barbara County

Firefighters were battling a vegetation fire burning near Highway 101 in the Gaviota area on Thursday afternoon.

Crews were dispatched shortly after 2 p.m. to the fire just north of the northbound highway rest stop and south of the tunnel.

As of about 3 p.m., the fire had blackened 5-7 acres, with the potential 50-100 acres, according to Karen Cruz-Orduña, spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Two water-dropping helicopters and two air tankers were sent to assist firefighters on the ground in battling the flames.

Authorities ordered the closure of northbound Highway 101 between Mariposa Reina and Highway 1 in southern Santa Barbara County due to smoke and the proximity of aircraft dropping fire retardant.

Power lines were reported down in the area, Cruz-Orduña said.

Investigators were en route to determine the cause of the blaze.

Personnel from Los Padres National Forest were assisting on the incident.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.

— Noozhawk editor in chief Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com.

This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Part of Highway 101 shut down as firefighters battle blaze in Santa Barbara County."