Firefighters halt forward progress of vegetation fire near Refugio State Beach, one lane of HWY 101 closed

GOLETA, Calif. - California Highway Patrol and Santa Barbara County Fire responded to a vegetation fire that shut down one lane of Highway 101 Monday evening.

The fire was first reported around 6:26 p.m. off the northbound lanes of the 101 near the Refugio Road onramp.

CHP said they shut down the number two lane of the northbound highway in the area.

The first responding fire engine reported finding two one-acre fires burning uphill away from the freeway towards the north at a moderate rate.

Crews attempted to place hoselays around the fires, however both fires burned together into a single two-to three-acre fire before they could.

By 7:05 p.m., fire crews had halted forward progress of the fire. Additional engines that were on their way were canceled.

No injuries were reported or structures threatened in connection with this incident.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.