A vegetation fire burning off Highway 166 west of Highway 33 had charred between 120 and 130 acres on Monday evening before forward progress was stopped.
At approximately 6:15 p.m., personnel from several agencies, including the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department, responded to the incident 13 miles west of Highway 33.
In addition to ground crews, aircraft and bulldozers also were dispatched to assist in extinguishing the blaze.
Crews initially estimated the 166 Fire’s size at 20-25 acres involving brush estimated to be three feet tall, county fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said.
The fire had a moderate rate of spread but was not threatening any structures in the area, he added.
CalFire, Bureau of Land Management and Los Padres National Forest personnel also were dispatched to assist.
One estimate pinpointed the fire’s size at 100 acres, with hopes roads would help crews box in the blaze, Bertucelli said.
Firefighters estimated the blaze had the potential to grow to 200 acres, he added.
Shortly after 7:30 p.m., crews had stopped the fire’s forward progress before the blaze.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Monday.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company personnel also were dispatched to the scene since the fire damaged the utility’s equipment, including downing power poles.
For more than an hour, crews closed both westbound and eastbound traffic on Highway 166 in the area because the fire was burning along the edge of the road.
— 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.