Vehicle fire spreads to vegetation in rural SLO County. See latest on Rock Fire

A vegetation fire west of Paso Robles grew to approximately 5 acres near Chimney Rock Road on Sunday afternoon.

The fire was burning in heavy fuels which prompted additional firefighting resources being sent out to the scene.

The fire, identified as the Rock Fire, was reported shortly before 1 p.m. near the 7900 to 8000 block of Chimney Rock Road west of Nacimiento Lake Drive.

The blaze initially started as a vehicle fire before spreading into nearby vegetation, according to Cal Fire’s San Luis Obispo County Fire Department.

By about 1:26 p.m., Watch Duty reported the fire had grown to approximately 5 acres in heavy fuels, citing incident command updates.

Watch Duty also reported that two additional air tankers and three additional type 3 engines had been requested as crews worked to slow the fire’s spread.

Air and ground resources, including multiple engines and aircraft, responded to the incident, according to PulsePoint dispatch information and Watch Duty maps.

Smoke from the fire was visible on ALERTCalifornia cameras Sunday afternoon.

Fire officials advised the public to avoid the area and watch for emergency personnel and equipment responding to the incident.

According to Cal Fire, Chimney Rock Road is expected to be closed between Lake Nacimiento Drive and Adelaide due to firefighting efforts.

No injuries or structure damage had been reported as of Sunday afternoon. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 2:34 PM.