A small brush fire in a remote area of the Ventura River bottom area this morning created visibility issues on a section of the nearby 101 Freeway.
The blaze was discovered at around 6 a.m., near the West Main Street-Ventura River crossing. Firefighters had a hard time getting to the small blaze because of the rugged terrain, but were able to contain it in about a half hour. The fire put up smoke which created concerns about visibility for motorists, so the CHP temporarily provided escorts over the 101 Freeway bridge over the river.
By 8 a.m., the freeway had returned to normal.
Ventura Fire investigators say a warming fire used by some homeless people camped in the riverbottom area triggered the roughly quarter of an acre blaze.
