Firefighters continue to battle Central Coast blaze

More than 500 firefighters continued to battle a 441-acre blaze near Lompoc in Santa Barbara County on Saturday, authorities said.

The Rucker fire is still threatening about 150 homes, though no homes have been destroyed, officials said.

The fire erupted about 2 p.m. Friday and quickly threatened residences in the area, prompting authorities to issue an evacuation order for about 900 people, said Mike Eliason, a public information officer with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Firefighters were able to prevent the blaze from reaching homes on the Central Coast and have since lifted the evacuation order. Officials said the fire — which spread through grass, chaparral and manzanita and oak trees — is 60% contained.

“We’ve got a lot of resources still here,” Eliason said.

On Friday night, light winds worked to firefighters’ advantage.

The cause of the fire has not been determined. Eliason declined to go into the specifics about the investigation.

Meanwhile, crews were still working to extinguish a vegetation fire near the Orange County-Riverside County line. More than 2,660 acres were scorched near the 91 Freeway, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

The fire began at 3 p.m. Monday and threatened about 500 homes in the area. Evacuation orders were lifted Wednesday.

The blaze is 90% contained, officials said.

More than 900 firefighters were still working Saturday on cleanup efforts. Skyline Drive west of Funston Way in west Corona remained closed, and officials said to avoid the area.

The fire is still under investigation. It is expected to be fully contained by Sunday.

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UPDATES:

8:20 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from fire officials.

4:45 p.m. This article was updated with new information from fire officials.

This article was originally posted at 11:45 a.m.