Solimar Beach Brush Fire at 1200 Acres, Closes 101 Freeway

Hundreds of firefighters are battling a large wildfire in Southern California, forcing the evacuation of residents and the closure of a major highway.

“Even if we do open up the roadways, it’s still not a contained fire”, Ventura County Fire Department Chief Norm Plott told reporters. “It’s a very dynamic fire”.

The brush fire has gone on to burn 1,250 acres in the Solimar Beach area near Ventura, California, triggering mandatory evacuations and temporarily shuttering the 101 Freeway in both directions.

USA 101, between Highway 150 and Highway 33, was closed until about 2 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) Saturday because of the fire, cutting a major thruway in half during a holiday travel rush.

The fast-moving blaze burned through Christmas night and into Saturday, with more than 1,200 acres torched as of 9 a.m. (noon ET), according to Ventura County Fire spokesman Capt. Mike Lindberry.

Officials closed Highway 101 from West Main Street in Ventura to Highway 150 in Santa Barbara when the fire reached the highway and the State Beaches tunnels.

The typically congested roadway reopened that afternoon, after officials warned that it could be closed again if the fire’s speed and direction changed.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, one to a knee and one to an ankle, Kruschke said. Sustained winds of 15-20mph are expected for Saturday, with gusts as strong as 30mph.

A view of a fire that started near Solimar Beach, seen from Highway 101 near Seaward Avenue in Ventura, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015.

About 30 homes were threatened by the blaze, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

The fire was less than 10 percent contained on Saturday, and it will take at least three days to get it under control, fire officials said.

An existing wind advisory will likely still be in place on Sunday. Kaufman is urging everyone that is moving to higher ground to be sure and close all the windows and doors in their homes first. “We don’t want that to happen”.