Hundreds of California firefighters battle wildfire flames

More than 400 California firefighters battled on Sunday to contain a final stretch of wildfire that caused the temporary closure of a major highway and forced evacuations northwest of Los Angeles, officials said.

The fire charred some 1,235 acres between the coastal cities of Ventura and Carpinteria. Firefighters had dug containment lines around 70 percent of the blaze by early afternoon, Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Captain Mike Lindbery said.

"We have a handle on it, but that handle can be very fragile if certain events occur," Lindbery said.

The main concerns facing firefighters were winds or wild embers starting flare-ups outside the containment line.

Two flare-ups occurred overnight. One was a 2-acre spot fire that was quickly extinguished. Firefighters were monitoring the other blaze, expected to be less than an acre in size.

Firefighters also faced the challenge of steep terrain, including sandy and unstable cliffside, while battling the flames, Lindbery said.

The area of the blaze was expected to see a high temperature of 57 F on Sunday, with humidity at 30 percent. The cooler temperatures will aid firefighting efforts, but an excess of dry vegetation will keep feeding the fire, Lindbery said.

The fire started on Friday night near Ventura County, about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles, when high winds knocked down power lines in a dry hilly area. The fire grew rapidly, consuming about 250 acres an hour in its early stage, Lindbery said.

The flames triggered the closure of parts of U.S. Highway 101, although northbound and southbound lanes of the roadway both reopened to traffic by late afternoon on Saturday.

The Solimar Beach community, with 50 to 60 homes, and a nearby campsite were under a mandatory evacuation order, while a voluntary one had been issued for the Faria Beach community, where there are 30 to 40 homes, fire officials said. The evacuations were later lifted.