A brush fire near Highway 166 and Twitchell Reservoir, east of Santa Maria, has consumed more than 6,000 acres, closing the highway and leading to some evacuations, authorities said Saturday morning.
The fire, dubbed the Alamo Fire, started Thursday afternoon but grew rapidly with high heat on Friday. The fire, according to Cal Fire, is now 10 percent contained. Highway 166 is closed between New Cuyama and Santa Maria, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Firefighters from around the state are now converging on the fire, which is now mostly in San Luis Obispo County. Cal Fire, along with Santa Barbara County Fire, is leading the fight.
#AlamoFire [update] off Hwy 166, near Twitchell Reservoir (San Luis Obispo Co) is now 6,000 acres & 10% contained. https://t.co/3KR0HM0UMK pic.twitter.com/K128xjLHHY
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) July 8, 2017
Vegetation Fire-#AlamoFire-The full moon rises over flames on a hilltop off Highway 166 east of Santa Maria. *Call Newsline For Fire Info* pic.twitter.com/TfG0HD07mD
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) July 8, 2017
Notice: #AlamoIC will now be hashtaged as #Alamofire by @calfire_slo to avoid confusion. pic.twitter.com/Jgo9kRVmbZ
— CAL FIRE SLO (@CALFIRE_SLO) July 7, 2017
Flames visible from the roof of @SMPDHQ heavy smoke over the city #Alamofire #AlamoIC pic.twitter.com/Tb3nzZ7mOM
— Santa Maria Police (@SMPDHQ) July 7, 2017
Aircraft using the Twitchell Reservoir water to their full advatange. #AlamoFire is now 250 acres. @KSBY pic.twitter.com/utvz8n4Kwa
— Megan Abundis (@meganrabundis) July 7, 2017
Explosive #AlamoFire dwarfs Santa Maria & other #SoCal lights with #wildfire smoke out over the ocean. #VIIRS #CAwx https://t.co/CpvDfCzm1E pic.twitter.com/BmJKb5XiWL
— UW-Madison CIMSS (@UWCIMSS) July 8, 2017
#AlamoFire 500 acres and growing at a rapid rate. Possible evacuation warnings for the area. Picture taken from Santa Ynez. #ARES #HamRadio pic.twitter.com/I6uoMWti6F
— Santa Maria ARES (@SantaMariaARES) July 7, 2017
