Ventura firefighters extinguish brush fire at homeless encampment

California State Route 33 was closed for over an hour Friday afternoon as firefighters battled a brush fire near a homeless encampment in Ventura.

Crews responded to the area near Shell Road at around 1:00 p.m. for a report of a vegetation fire along the right side of the roadway.

Ventura City and Ventura County fire departments, as well as Cal Fire, responded to the incident.

A quarter-acre of brush, trees and debris were on fire and causing a large amount of smoke to blow into the roadway, creating a hazard to passing vehicles and emergency responders.

California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Transportation closed the highway while hand crews worked to contain and extinguish the blaze.

Officials say the fire took about 90 minutes to put out.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.