Brush fire closes stretch of Pacific Coast Highway

California’s famous coastal highway partially closed on Saturday because of a wildfire that began late on Friday night.

The Pacific Coast Highway and U.S. Highway 101, have both been shut down in Ventura County early today, reports CNN.

Officials said no homes were immediately being threatened, although evacuations were still in place in Solimar Beach and area campgrounds.

Evacuees were told to travel north, where the Red Cross had established a shelter at the Veterans Memorial Building at 941 Walnut Ave.in Carpinteria. “We’re getting a bunch of embers in Solimar east”.

Helicopters and fixed-wing tankers were helping to battle the blaze with water drops.

Multiple fire agencies were enlisted to assist with the fire, including the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Weather conditions are expected to improve over the next several days which should help firefighters increase the containment of the Solimar Fire. The fire started around 10:30 p.m. Friday, burning about 100 acres in the 3000 block of West Pacific Coast Highway. The fire is zero percent contained as of 9 a.m.

The 101 Freeway was closed northbound at Highway 33 and southbound at Bates Road. “It’s still not a contained fire so I just want to caution that any openings that do happen are subject to being closed again if the fire changes direction.” said Cmdr.

A prime concern is high winds, which forecasters expect to shift throughout the day, potentially extending the borders of the fire.

The fire broke out near Ventura’s Solimar Beach.

The department said that 600 firefighters are working the brush fire, which is located 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The blaze had also stopped rail traffic through the region.

At this time, the cause of the brush fire is still under investigation.