Brush fire closes 101
By Erin Carlyle - Staff Writer
6/6/04 A fire roared through more than 5,000 acres near Gaviota Saturday, forcing residents to evacuate as the flames jumped over Highway 101 and burned toward the sea - with no end to the burning in sight.
The blaze was not contained late Saturday night with at least 200 firefighters battling it, and the cause was under investigation, according to Capt. Charlie Johnson of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Johnson said firefighters expect to be battling the fire for days.
Highway 101 was closed in both directions, from Buellton to Winchester Canyon - and will remain closed indefinitely. Power lines were down and rocks were on the roadway, Johnson said.
The oil refinery at the Mariposa Reina exit was threatened, and all railroad activity between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara was stopped until further notice, Johnson said. About 500 acres burned in Los Padres National Forest, he added.
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2004/06/06/news/news09.txt
Some additional info in this article:
Calif. wildfire scorches 5,000 acres
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2004-06-06-calif-wildfires_x.htm
GAVIOTA, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire in Southern California scorched more than 5,000 acres Saturday and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from a gated community nearby, authorities said.
The flames spread quickly through a line of narrow canyons and steep hillsides covered with dense, old-growth brush, burning on both sides of Highway 101 about 27 miles north of Santa Barbara.
More than 200 firefighters battled the blaze, which was reported shortly before noon, said Charlie Johnson, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Waves of thick, black smoke and fiery embers cut visibility on the freeway to zero, forcing authorities to divert traffic on a roughly 3-mile-long stretch of the highway in both directions. The highway was expected to remain closed for several hours.
Officials had no immediate estimate of when the fire could be contained.
About 500 people in roughly 200 homes in the community of Hollister Ranch were evacuated, Johnson said. No injuries were immediately reported.
At least one structure, part of an abandoned school, was damaged by flames. The Arguello and Shell Oil refineries were threatened, but firefighters were able to protect them, spokesman Jan Purkett said.
A section of the Union Pacific Railroad railway between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara was closed because several trestles were damaged by the fire.