Fire crews responding to a five-acre vegetation fire off Highway 101, north of the Gaviota Rest Stop

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Fire crews are responding to a five to seven-acre vegetation fire along northbound Highway 101 north of the Gaviota Rest Stop and just before the Gaviota Tunnel.

At 4:42 p.m., all northbound lanes of Highway 101 have been reopened after being closed for over an hour as part of the fire response tweeted the California Department of Transportation District 5.

According to the Santa Barbra County Fire Department, air assets have joined the response alongside ground personnel with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Los Padres National Forest, and California Highway Patrol for the fire first called in at 2:10 p.m. Thursday.

Ground access has been complicated by downed power lines in the area shared the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Construction in the area had already closed one northbound lane on Highway 101 and the California Department of Transportation District 5 confirmed that the one remaining northbound lane was closed from Mariposa Reina east of Gaviota to the junction with Highway 1 as part of the fire response.

This is an evolving fire response and more information will be added to this article as it becomes available.