California wildfire closes popular coast highway

A wildfire in Southern California burned about 1,200 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of a major highway and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said.

U.S. authorities shut off sections of the101 Freeway, a major traffic link connecting the north and south of the country, Ventura county fire department spokeswoman Heather Sumagaysay said Saturday.

Highway 101 was closed at State Route 33 northbound and Bates Road southbound, as the fire is burning on both sides of the highway.

The Red Cross had set up a shelter in Carpinteria at the Veteran’s Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Avenue.

No injuries to firefighters or civilians have been reported, and no structures have been destroyed, authorities said.

Fire officials said it will take about three days to extinguish the blaze, which is about 10 percent contained. The Ventura County Fire Department reported the fire was being pushed by a strong northwest wind. There were also voluntary evacuations in Solimar Beach and area camps, Capt. Mike Lindberry said. “We’ve got high pressure coming in behind it that’s going into the great basin area”.

Mark Lorenzen, the Ventura County Fire Department’s chief, said that the fire began Christmas night at 11. Winds reached 50mph in the dry area.

Lindbery said that more than 600 firefighters were sent to battle the fire that is feeding off thousands of acres of drought-stricken forest and grasslands.

While it’s far from the biggest wildfire California has faced in recent memory, the Solimar Fire is affecting not only travelers but residents in this community about 70 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.

‘The winds are expected to shift several times today, initially blowing from the north, to the northeast and ending up from the northwest.