Firefighters Battle 250-Acre Brush Fire in Solimar Beach

The brush fire that engulfed some 1,200 acres on Solimar Beach near Ventura has resulted in the partial closing of the coastal 101 Freeway, which runs all the way to the Canadian border, on Saturday.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

“It was a rough night”, said Capt. Mike Lindbery, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

Officials said no homes were under immediate threat, although evacuations were still in place in areas affected. Another hundred acres were on fire a mere two hours later.

Air crews work to contain the Solimar Fire. At that time, there were over 500 firefighters on the scene or en route.

In this photo provided by Diego Topete, fire overruns the state Highway 101 near Ventura, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015.

No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, fire officials said. “Despite the challenges of high winds, steep terrain, significant brush, we were able to bring a stop to all forward progress of the fire”.

As of 1 p.m., the highway was still closed, but officials said that it may reopen soon. It looks like this fire is going to be another tough one for the drought-stricken state.

The fire started about 11:00pm local time on Friday, and strong winds and dry vegetation caused it to grow rapidly, she said.

“There was nobody stopping us as we got closer and closer”.

Ventura County Fire Department’s Captain Mink Lindberg reported the fire officially at about 12:15 a.m. Saturday morning, KTLA 5 reported. California Department of Transportation is hoping to reopen the 101 later this afternoon but that could change depending on weather conditions. However, no homes burned and the evacuations were lifted by nightfall. Authorities urged caution for those using Highway 150 as an alternate because of heavy traffic.

That’s where firefighters made their stand, preventing flames from reaching Solimar Beach, where three dozen upscale homes are sandwiched between the highway and the Pacific Ocean. Although most headed north toward Carpinteria, some neighbors stayed put.

Holiday campers were also forced to evacuate nearby campgrounds.

A Red Cross shelter has been set up for residents.

Sergeant Brian Richmond says the Solimar Beach community is still under a mandatory evacuation.

“When we arrived, we had the fire immediately impinging on the 101 and we had multiple motorists stranded”, Burris said.