Northbound Highway 101 traffic was shut down for about four hours Saturday evening in the Carpinteria area because of a fire under the freeway.
Traffic on the adjacent Via Real also was shut down as firefighters from the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District and the Montecito Fire Department attempted to determine the cause of the blaze and extinguish the flames.
The fire near Casitas Pass Road appeared to be coming from a manhole cover, according to the California Highway Patrol.
When firefighters arrived, they found fire coming from two manhole covers plus smoke rising from a vent, Montecito Fire Battalion Chief Anthony Hudley said.
The fire, reported at about 5:45 p.m., seemed to be located in a storm drain that runs under the highway.
Just before 8 p.m., crews had extinguished the fire but were still working to pinpoint the source, requiring Highway 101 to remain closed, Hudley said.
Representatives from the Southern California Gas Co. and Carpinteria Sanitary District confirmed the fire did not involve their equipment, he added.
“It’s still an unknown fire, and we’re working on mitigating it so that we can open up the freeway,” Hudley said.
The northbound highway lanes reopened at approximately 9:45 p.m.
Northbound traffic was diverted off the freeway at Bailard Avenue, over to Carpinteria Avenue, then back on the freeway at Casitas Pass Road
Personnel from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and Caltrans also responded to the scene.
Law enforcement officers dealing with traffic in the area reported some drivers were being misdirected by mobile phone applications.
Drivers reported heavy traffic on streets in Carpinteria because of the freeway closure.
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.