Firefighters responded Sunday to a vegetation fire that broke out in the area of Highway 154 and Paradise Road in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Smoke from the fire was visible from the PG&E webcam on Santa Ynez Peak.
Crews from the U.S. Forest Service, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, and the Montecito Fire Protection District were dispatched to the incident — dubbed the Stagecoach Fire — at about 11:20 a.m.
Firefighting aircraft — both helicopters and fixed-wing — also were sent to help battle the blaze.
The initial size-up of the fire was 2-3 acres charred with flames spreading rapidly in heavy vegetation, according to Mike Eliason, spokesman for the County Fire Department.
Reports from the scene indicated firefighters were making quick progress containing the blaze, which was estimated at 6 acres at 12:15 p.m..
“Calm weather conditions are working in favor of a well-coordinated fire attack between federal and local agencies,” said Capt. Scott Safechuck of the County Fire Department.
Highway 154 was shut down between Paradise Road and Highway 246. It reopened to westbound traffic shortly before 3 p.m., but remain closed to traffic headed east.
Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
