Firefighters are mopping up a 30 acre brush fire which caused a scare in the Conejo Valley, and snarled traffic on the 101 Freeway.
The blaze started just after 11 a.m., on the south side of Highway 101 near Rancho Road. A brisk wind quickly blew the flames up a brush and chaparral covered hillside. Firefighters were able to protect an athletic club and some industrial buildings on the eastern flank of the fire.
The fire initially sent a thick cloud of smoke across the 101, causing traffic to slow. Fire trucks parked along the south side of the freeway continued to cause slowing for the next few hours.
They stopped the flames before they could crest a ridge, and move through rugged hills into the Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation area. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
