Alisal Fire In Southern California Swells To 13,400 Acres In One Day With Only 5% Containment

Hundreds of firefighters were battling a brush fire that broke out west of Santa Barbara, forcing evacuations and shutting down a portion of Highway 101, CBS Los Angeles reports.

The Alisal Fire nearly doubled in size in one day, with flames spanning 13,400 acres as of Tuesday night, according to CBS Los Angeles. There was five percent containment:

The blaze broke out before 2:30 p.m. Monday amid powerful winds near Alisal Lake in the Santa Ynez Mountains. It was burning in dense chaparral, brush and grass.

Highway 101 was closed from Highway 1 at Las Cruces to Winchester Canyon Road in Goleta. The fire jumped from the east side to the west side of the freeway, Eliason reported early Tuesday morning, and flames were burning along the Gaviota Coast.

Evacuation orders were in place for Arroyo Hondo Canyon and Refugio Canyon, west of Goleta, according to the U.S. Forest Service, along with El Capitan State Park and the El Capitan Campground. Up to 100 structures were threatened, including ranch homes.

Patrick Brown and his family have owned the nearby Circle Bar B Ranch for 82 years. He said he is nervous about "losing everything."

"I've put a lifetime into it," he said. "If I lose it, I don't have a lifetime left to redo it."

There was no word on what caused the fire.

Jamie Yuccas contributed to this report.

First published on October 12, 2021 / 10:31 AM

© 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.