VENTURA, Calif. — A wind-whipped wildfire closed a major coastal highway in Southern California for several hours and forced dozens of homes to be evacuated, authorities said Saturday. No serious injuries or damages were reported.
The fire began late Friday northwest of Ventura and soon reached state Highway 101, a major route connecting Northern and Southern California. Fueled by dry timber and winds that reached 50 mph, it closed the six-lane highway in both directions for roughly 15 miles.
“We had multiple motorists stranded with the flames impinging on the highway,” Ventura County Fire Battalion Chief Fred Burris said. “We had motorists making U-turns going opposing directions on the freeway with other motorists, not realizing the situation.”
A downed power line on private property is believed to have sparked the fire, which burned 1,250 acres by Saturday afternoon, said Tom Kruschke, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department, who didn’t know the power line’s owner. Wind may have felled the power line, he said.
Steep canyons and winds that quickly changed directions challenged about 600 firefighters.
