Crews stopped the forward progress of a fast-moving vegetation fire that broke out Monday afternoon and closed Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Personnel from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and other agencies were dispatched just before 3 p.m. Monday to the site north of Los Olivos.
The incident, called the Mesa Fire, reportedly was just north of Zaca Lake, and by 3:30 p.m. firefighters called a second alarm to get more crews to the scene.
The initial size-up was about 30 acres burned, with the potential for 300-400 acres, according to Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason.
The fire was reported burning on both sides of the road, with some spotting behavior.
As of 5:25 p.m., the fire had stopped growing after burning approximately 35 acres, lower than the 50 acres estimated initially, fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni added.
Three helicopters also were dispatched, and air tankers, hand crews and bulldozers were requested as firefighters said the incident had the potential to grow to 300 to 400 acres.
Some equipment assigned to the Whittier Fire was diverted to the Mesa Fire, Zaniboni added.
“We do have a fair amount of equipment on scene,” he said.
No structures were immediately threatened.
The fire was burning toward some vineyards, which firefighters were hoping would help contain the blaze.
Crews were expected to remain at the scene all night to deal with hot spots and complete mop-up chores, Zaniboni said.
Foxen Canyon Road was closed between Zaca Station and Alisos Canyon roads, the California Highway Patrol said.
Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
