Investigators say lightning caused 210-acre fire near Whale Rock Reservoir
CAYUCOS, Calif. - Investigators with CAL FIRE determined that lightning from a passing thunderstorm Saturday morning was the cause of a 210-acre wildfire near Whale Rock Reservoir.
The fire broke out around 10:40 a.m. Saturday off Old Creek Road and spread quickly, reaching 120 acres in a matter of hours. The fire burned in dry brush near the Whale Rock Reservoir east of Cayucos.
By Sunday morning, the fire grew to 210 acres. As of Monday evening, the fire is still being held at 210 acres and is now 65% contained.
CAL FIRE said that great progress was made during Monday's mop up efforts. Control lines have been well established and firefighters will continue to mop up the area overnight.
There is no prediction for when the fire will be fully contained, however, Old Creek Road is set to reopen to traffic at 5 p.m. Tuesday evening. The road has been closed since the fire broke out Saturday morning.
This lightning-sparked fire broke out around the same time as several other spot fires across the Central Coast. The lightning storm passed through northern Santa Barbara County between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning and kept County firefighters on their toes by igniting several patches of dry brush. Hundreds of lightning strikes were recorded in the area that morning.
At this time, 10 fire engines, two water tenders, four hand crews, one dozer and 77 personnel are on scene.
No injuries have been reported and no structures have been damaged as a result of the fire.
All previous evacuation warnings were lifted Sunday morning.
