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Brush Fire Which At One Point Closed Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County Now 50% Contained

(Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo)
The Real Fire Thursday afternoon. It's 50% contained as of Friday night

Firefighters now have 50% containment of a brush fire in Santa Barbara County that temporarily shut down Highway 101, and forced the evacuation of some campgrounds. The 420 acre Real Fire started at around 4:30 Thursday afternoon in the hills near El Capitan State Beach.

It's about 10 miles west of Goleta. Gusty wind quickly expanded the blaze, but pushed the flames downhill, towards the ocean. It forced the evacuation of some area campgrounds, and shut down Highway 101 for more than two hours.

Firefighters aided by air tankers and helicopters were able to slow the spread of the fire. Crews had 20% containment late Thursday night, which rose to 50% Friday evening.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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