Crews were battling a vegetation fire that broke out Monday afternoon along Highway 135 south of Orcutt.

At approximately 1:15 p.m., personnel from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department along with the Vandenberg Fire Department responded to fire near Graciosa Road. 

Initally estimated at seven acres, the blaze actually blackened about 18 acres, according to Mike Eliason, a county fire spokesman. 

It was burning in light brush with a moderate rate of spread, according to an air attack aircraft overhead.

By shortly after 2:30 p.m., the forward progress of the flames had been stopped, according to emergency radio traffic.

While the fire was burning away from the roadway, officials reported heavy smoke in the area.

Incident commanders requested aircraft to help ground crews battle the flames, with two tankers and a helicopter ordered.

However, the tankers were canceled before arriving on scene.

The fire reportedly is located on Vandenberg Air Force Base property.

California Highway Patrol officers closed one lane of the Highway 135.

— 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.