Firefighters have 30% containment of a brush fire which at one point threatened some ranches on the Central Coast.
200 firefighters aided by aircraft are battling the McMurray fire, burning just off of Highway 101 between Hughway 154 and 246 in Santa Barbara County.
The fire began Monday afternoon, quickly spreading through brush. It forced the full closure of the northbound 101 for about three hours, and prompted an evacuation order for some ranches northeast of Buellton. The evacuation order was lifted Monday night.
Firefighters were able to stop the growth of the fire by sunset Monday. But, they remained concerned about the potential for hot weather and wind leading to flareups. No structures have been reported damaged. There's no word on a cause yet.