Cal Poly wildfire races to 33 acres five miles north

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• What happened and where
• Evacuations and local impact
• Emergency response
• Investigation and immediate consequences

A vehicle fire on Highway 101 about five miles north of Cal Poly on Wednesday afternoon ignited dry grass on the adjacent hillside, quickly expanding into a brush fire that damaged roughly 33 acres. Authorities say the blaze is no longer actively spreading and is about 20% contained, but the incident prompted mandatory evacuations and significant traffic disruption on a busy regional route.

What happened and where

California Highway Patrol officers first encountered the vehicle stopped at the roadside shortly before 1:45 p.m., with the occupant already outside the car. Within about ten minutes the vehicle was fully aflame and flames spread into the hillside vegetation, running northeast from the Ryan’s Gate property toward Cuesta Ridge.

Responders reported the fire reached nearly 33 acres within 20 minutes of arrival; crews were on scene by 2 p.m. and quickly prioritized containment along the ridge line.

• Location: Highway 101, approximately five miles north of Cal Poly
• Size: about 33 acres
• Containment: ~20% (Cal Fire)
• Status: not actively burning, cause under investigation

Evacuations and local impact

Cal Fire has issued a mandatory evacuation for portions of the northern Los Padres National Forest. The order covers a corridor bounded by Mount Lowe Road to the south and Forest Route 29S04 to the north, extending east of Highway 101 and west to Burrito Creek Road.

Cal Poly is not included in the evacuation area and the university has not released campus emergency notices.

Emergency response

Cal Fire mobilized a mixed response that included engines, hand crews and air resources. So far, officials report about 130 personnel assigned to the incident.

• Ground resources: Type 3 engines, hand crews, water tenders, bulldozer
• Air resources: a Type 1 helicopter and air tanker support; at least one tanker dropped retardant along the ridge
• Traffic control: emergency vehicles positioned along the east shoulder closed the right two northbound lanes of Highway 101; northbound traffic was reduced to the far-left lane and backed up to the base of the Grade near the Reservoir Canyon crossing

Investigation and immediate consequences

Cal Fire says the vehicle blaze that started the incident remains under investigation. Officials have not released further details about the vehicle’s make, model or any injuries.

Beyond road delays, the primary local concerns are the potential for renewed spread if winds shift and the short-term effects of smoke on air quality. Residents and drivers in the area should monitor Cal Fire and CHP updates for changes to evacuations and lane closures.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect an updated description of the involved vehicle and the most recent containment figures from Cal Fire.