Solimar Fire 87% Contained, Full Containment Expected Tuesday

The Solimar Beach brush fire has charred 1,388 acres and was 87 percent contained as of Monday morning, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

Full containment is expected by Tuesday, the department said.

The blaze broke out about 10:40 p.m. Christmas Day, six miles northwest of Ventura, north of the 101 Freeway. The fire was spread rapidly, stoked by winds in excess of 40 mph.

A downed private power line is believed to have started the blaze with help from strong winds, Ventura County Fire Chief Mike Lorenzen said. More than 400 firefighters remain at the scene, he said.

“We have made tremendous progress today, despite the challenges of high winds, steep terrain and significant brush,” Lorenzen said. “We were able to bring a stop to all forward progress of the fire and we did not lose any structures.”

Thirty Los Angeles County firefighters and one helicopter were sent to Ventura County on Saturday to help battle the blaze. More than 350 firefighters were involved in fighting the fire, but that number was expected to be reduced Monday afternoon as units are being released.

High winds are expected later this week. A small contigent of firefighters will remain in ”patrol status” in the fire area as full containment approaches, the VCFD said.

The 101 Freeway was shut down Saturday for hours in both directions between state highways 33 and 150. The northbound lanes re-opened around 1:45 p.m., and the southbound lanes re-opened about 20 minutes later.

Pacific Coast Highway was closed between the State Beaches and Seacliff offramps but was re-open by 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Ventura County Fire Department reported two minor injuries to firefighters, one an ankle injury and the other an injury to a knee.

--City News Service contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of CalFire