Cal Fire battles 90-acre vegetation fire in Santa Maria Riverbed

A vegetation fire erupted in the Santa Maria Riverbed in southern San Luis Obispo County late Thursday afternoon.

The fire had burned about 70 acres of grass in the riverbed on the east side of Highway 101 by 5:20 p.m., Cal Fire spokesperson Ryan Greed said.

By 5:30 p.m., it had reached an estimated 90 acres, the agency said in a post on X .

The fire was 0% contained and had significant potential to spread, Greed said.

"We're still very much on the firefight with this one," he said.

The blaze ignited at about 4:30 p.m., Greed said. The closest cross streets to the fire were Highway 166 and Bull Canyon Road, he said.

Cal Fire sent air tankers and helicopters to drop fire suppressant on the blaze.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service also helped battle the blaze, he said.